Blood Ties
by Cynthia Taz
Summary: Harry, Buffy and co entered the third year of Hogwarts with troubles following right behind. Questions raise, and answers lie within their blood... Sequel of 'Chamber of Secrets': Based on 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ::update 35::
1. Part 1

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Title: **Blood Ties**  
Part: **01**  
Aurthor: **Cynthia Taz**

Rating: **PG**  
Summary: **Harry, Buffy and co entered the third year of Hogwarts with troubles following right behind. Questions raise, and answers lie within their blood... (Sequel of 'Chamber of Secrets': Based on 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban')**

Disclaimer: **All characters, sites and such from 'Buffy, The Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' belong to Joss Whedon, UPN, WB, and et al. All characters, sites and such from 'Harry Potter' belong to JK Rowling. No copyright infringement intended. Anything new in it belongs to the author (Yah me!). This story is not sell or for any profit. **

Note 1: **This is a sequel of 'Chamber of Secrets'. You don't need to read it to understand this fic, just read through the summary below and it should be fine. (There's also some reference to the specific part from 'Chamber of Secrets' in case you guys are interested)**  
Note 2: **Most events will be based on the movie but some will be from the book.**  
Note 3: **I had finally figured out how come the Numbus 2001 is called Numbus 2001 (at first I thought it was the year but it turns out to be the version no. of the model... but I figure I'll just let it be... hehe... lazy...)**  
Note 4: **I've skipped the part where Harry use magic in Dursley's. Just so you know.**

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**Here's a special thanks to Joahn, my beta reader, and to those who have been supporting 'Chamber of Secrets'. This story's for you guys:)**

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**Background information from the 'Chamber of Secrets':**  
- Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Buffy Summers and Alexander (Xander) Harris are all in Gryffindor. They had been friends since 1st year in Hogwarts.  
- Buffy step-father is Rupert Giles, the Professor for History in Magic in Hogwarts (CoS Part 2). Her birth father is a Squib who kicked her and her mother out after finding out Buffy's a witch (CoS Part 16).  
- Xander's father is a prisoner in Azkaban (CoS Part 2) becuase he accidently kill someone trying to protect Xander's mother (CoS Part 26).  
- Willow Slytherin did not know anything about wizarding world until her mother died last year and was brought to England by Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy. She entered Hogwarts second year and was sorted to Slytherin house. (CoS Part 2)  
- Willow never knew about her mother's past or anything about her birth father until the end of her second year: her mother is a witch (CoS Part 23) and her father is Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort (CoS Part 27).  
- Dumbledore is now the legal guidance of Willow. (CoS Part 28)

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... 

Stepping out of the pub, Harry Potter raised his arm over his head, protecting his eyes from the shining sun. It had been almost two weeks since he had run away from the Dursley's and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. So far, he had been enjoying his new found freedom, even though Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had asked him to keep to Diagon Alley.

Squeezing himself through the crowded street, Harry stopped in front of the Quality Quidditch Supplies, his eyes focusing on the new broomstick that was on display: the Firebolt racing broom. How he was tempted to buy the latest and fastest broom in the world, but he wasn't even sure how much it would cost - 'Price on request' the price tag said, and Harry wasn't sure he want to know it either.

"Boo." A voice suddenly whispered to his ear.

"Wha-" Harry spun, and found himself staring at a redhead - more specifically, Willow Slytherin. "Willow!" Harry's face brightened when he saw his friend standing there, grinning back at her.

"Drooling over the Firebolt, huh?" Willow teased.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. What about you?" His smiled disappeared when he saw a man standing behind Willow, staring at them. "Um... hello?"

"Oh." Willow followed Harry's sight and found who he was staring. "This is Mr. Shacklebolt. Mr. Shacklebolt, Harry Potter."

Mr. Shacklebolt's eyes widened for a second, but quickly recovered. "How do you do?"

"Mr. Shacklebolt." Harry accepted the hand and shook it.

"Mr. Shacklebolt, can I..."

"Go on. I'll wait outside." Mr. Shacklebolt said, and Willow quickly pulled Harry into the Quidditch shop.

"What's going on?" Harry asked after they entered the shop, He peeked over the display window, and found Shacklebolt standing there, staring at them intensively.

"He is from the Minister." Willow sighed as they made their way to the far corner. "He is supposed to guard me... sorta."

"Guard you? Why?"

Willow shrugged. "Dumbledore didn't say. I overheard the Minister say didn't want me to leave Hogwarts grounds unless I've got someone from the Ministry with me." She picked up the broom nearby. "What do you think?" She asked.

Harry examined the broom Willow was holding. "Comet 260. It's nice." He frowned. "Don't you have one... no wait... two, isn't it? The one Malfoy gave you and the one Vold-" The black hair boy halted when he saw Willow's face fell. "-he gave you?

"I broke the Nimbus Ninety Three, and I don't want to use the one Tom..." Willow tailed off, her eyes slowly tracing the line of the broomstick in hand.

Harry nodded quietly, before following Willow to the counter to pay for the broom.

... 

After paying for the new broomstick, Harry and Willow along with Mr. Shacklebolt had gone to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for some ice cream. "So she just... floated away?" Willow giggled, sitting at the small table outside the parlor, listening to Harry explaining what had happened back at the Dursley's.

Harry nodded. "I didn't mean to." He frowned. "I just lost control."

"Well, at least the Minister didn't charge you for using magic outside of school."

"It was lucky. So, what about you? I mean, it must be so cool to have Dumbledore to be your guidance."

"Um... yeah." Willow smiled forcefully, and Harry couldn't help but notice it. "I mean, Dumbledore is very cool so... yeah." She tailed off, looking down at her hands on the table.

Harry's hand reached for Willow's, squeezing it lightly. "Are you alright?"

Willow nodded, before standing up. "I-I should go. Dumbledore wants me to go back before dinner."

"I'll see you on the train then?" Harry asked hopefully.

Willow nodded again, and left for Hogwarts with Mr. Shacklebolt following right behind. Harry watched the redhead left, before going back to the Leaky Cauldron, his mind half wondering what had happened to the redhead Slytherin that made her seem so sad.

... 

Waking up from the unfamiliar bed, Harry smiled as he remembered today was the first day of the new school year. Walking towards the pile of books sitting nearby, he picked up the heaviest one. "The Monster Book of Monsters." He smiled, unlocking the strip around it, and found himself staring at something that looked like a pair of eyes along with a month filled with fangs and beard - just like a monster.

Suddenly, the eyes of the book blinked. Harry jumped as the book turned towards him, fangs showing, its mouth opened and closed, trying to take a bite out on him.

Being dropped onto the floor, the 'monster' rushed towards Harry, torn pages flying everywhere. Harry jumped onto his bed, barely avoiding the aggressive book's fang as it went straight under the bed. Harry waited for a moment, before lying down onto the bed, his head hanging over the edge, peeking down. The book lay there, motionless, before suddenly opening its 'mouth' and rushing towards Harry again. Harry quickly pulled himself up, once again avoiding the 'monster'. The monster looked around, confused, before sliding, or crawling, or whatever it did, back under the bed.

A light bulb appeared on top of Harry's head. He quickly untied one of his shoes, before standing up at the edge of the bed, and dropped it onto the floor. As predicted, the 'monster' rushed out and bit the shoe. Harry quickly jumped off from the bed and landed right on top of the monster book, effectively catching it.

... 

After securing the 'Monster Book of Monsters', Harry walked down to the first floor of the inn for breakfast. His face brightened when he saw Ron and Hermione standing at the bottom of the stairs, arguing as usual.

"I'm warning you Hermione," Ron said angrily, holding his pet rat in his arms while Hermione having her pet cat in hers. "You bloody well **better** keep Crookshanks away from Scabbers, or I'll turn him to a- Harry!" Ron smiled.

"Turn him into Harry?" Hermione blinked in confusion, before realization hit her and she spun around. "Harry." She smiled at him.

"Hi guys." Harry smiled.

... 

"Egypt. What's it like?" Harry asked, looking at the clipping Ron showed him. The Weasley's going to the Egypt during summer had become the headline for the Daily Prophet, with a huge photo of the family on it. The nine Weasley were waving at the camera, huge grins painted on all their faces, including Scabbers, who was in Ron's hand.

"Brilliant. Lots and lots of stuff. Mummies, tombs, even Scabbers enjoyed himself."

"You know ancient Egypt used to worship cat?" Hermione asked, sitting at the opposite of the table, petting Crookshanks.

"Yeah." Ron sent a look at Hermione. "Along with zombies too."

"You're not flashing around my clipping about the trip again now are you, Ron?" Fred and George appeared from behind Ron, marching towards the empty chairs next to Hermione.

"I didn't show it to anyone." Ron frowned.

"Right. Not a soul." Fred/George said.

Harry smiled at the elder Weasley. He stood when he saw Mr and Mrs Weasley walked towards him. "Mrs Weasley."

"Hello dear." Mrs Weasley smiled and gave Harry a peck on his cheek. "You look gorgeous. You got everything you need?" Harry nodded. "All of your books?"

"Yes. They're all up stairs."

"All of your clothes?"

"Yes."

"Good boy."

"Thank you." Harry smiled, and turned towards Mr. Weasley. "Mr. Weasley."

"Harry Potter." Mr. Weasley smiled and shook Harry's hand. "Would you mind if I had a word?"

"Sure." Harry nodded at Mrs. Weasley before following Mr. Weasley to the far end of the pub.

"Looking forward for the new term?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yeah. It should be great."

Mr. Weasley's face turned serious suddenly. "Harry, there are some within the Ministry that strongly discard what I'm about to reveal to you, but..." He led Harry to a quieter corner when he saw some customers coming up from behind. "But I think you need to know." He stopped, standing in front of Harry. "You are in danger." He whispered. "Great danger."

Harry's eyes trailed towards the poster that he had seen all over the Diagon Alley. A poster asking people to contact the authorities if they spotted the escaped prisoner from Azkaban prison. "Does it have anything to do with Sirius Black, sir?"

"What do you know about Sirius Black, Harry?"

"Only that he has escaped from Azkaban."

"Do you know why?" Harry shook his head. "Thirteen years ago, when you stopped..."

"Voldemort?"

"Don't say his name."

"Sorry."

"When you stopped... you-know-who... Black lost everything. But 'til this day, he still remains as a faithful servant." Mr. Weasley explained. "In his mind, you are the only thing that stands in the way of you-know-who's returning of power. And that is why he escaped from Azkaban. To find you..."

"And kill me." Harry said calmly.

Mr. Weasley looked at him for a moment. "Harry, I want you to swear to me that whatever you might hear, you **won't** go looking for Black."

"Mr. Weasley," Harry frowned in confusion. "Why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?"

... 

Willow walked down the familiar path and reached the hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Hey Buckbeak." She smiled when she saw the hippogriff resting at the pumpkin field. The gray eagle-like head moved up a bit, watching curiously at the redhead.

Willow bowed, and the hippogriff bowed back without hesitation. The redhead smiled, before walking closer to the hippogriff and sat beside it, combing his feathers. "Hagrid isn't with you, huh?" Buckbeak turned a bit, its head leaning into Willow's warm palm. "I hope you don't feel lonely." She leaned down, her head resting on the hippogriff's strong torso. "'Cos not many people deserve it, not you at least." She whispered, before closing her eyes, and let herself falling into the welcomed darkness.

And it was how Hagrid found her hours later, sleeping sounding under the wings of the half eagle half horse, dried tears on her cheeks.

... 

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	2. Part 2

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**Blood Ties**  
**Part 2**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before... too lazy to repeat that again... and throw me a donut! Donut donut donut! (..crazy lazy mode again..)

Note 1: **Big thank you for Joahn beta reading the story. Can't do this without you:)**  
Note 2: **Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. As for the pairing, there may be a bit of Willow/Harry and Willow/Draco... it's all depending how's the final editing go, but relationship between Willow and Harry and Draco will definitely be part of the story. The rest? U'll 've to guest for now cos I'm evil... hehe... ;p**

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... 

"Where are Xander and Buffy, by the way?" Harry asked as he followed Ron and Hermione into the crowded Hogwarts Express.

"They are going straight to the station from Buffy's." Hermione explained, pointing at front. "There."

Harry followed her line of sight, and found Buffy standing outside a car, waving at them. The trio quickly walked towards Buffy. "Buffy!"

"Harry." The friends exchanged hugs, before entering the car. Harry stopped when he saw a man covered with a blanket was sleeping at the corner. "Sorry." Xander, who was sitting next to stranger, said. "Other cars are full." Harry shrugged, before putting his suitcase on the luggage rack over the chair and sat beside Xander.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron asked as he took the seat opposite to the sleeping man.

"Professor R. J. Lupin." Hermione answered, sitting next to Ron.

"How come you know everything?" Xander frowned, looking at Buffy who sat beside Hermione. "How come she knows everything?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's on his case." Xander looked up, and found name 'Professor R. J. Lupin' printed across the case above his head.

"Oh."

Harry eyed the professor for a second. "Do you think he's really asleep?"

"Seems to be. Why?" Buffy asked.

"I've got to tell you something." Harry stood, and quickly closed the door of the car.

... 

Willow blinked and rubbed her eyes when she heard someone calling her. She turned, and found Professor Minerva McGonagall standing there. "Time to wake up. The students will arrive in an hour."

"Yes Professor." Willow said, sitting up from the bed. She looked around and frowned, confused that she was in her room when the last thing she remembered was going out looking for Hagrid. "Um..."

"Hagrid found you falling asleep near the lake." Professor McGonagall explained.

"The lake?" Willow blinked. "Oh right. The lake. I-I was going for a walk, with all the water and sun and..." She paused. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

The transfiguration professor smiled warmly at her. "No. But you've got to be careful, Ms. Slytherin. Even though Hogwarts is considered to be one of the safest places in the wizarding world, you still have to be caution, especially now that the Ministry is in high alert."

The youngster looked down at her hands. "Is that why Dumbledore didn't let me take the Hogwarts Express with other students?" She whispered. "The Minister doesn't want me leave Hogwarts ground?"

Professor McGonagall blinked, surprised by Willow's questions. "Ms. Slytherin, I assure you, it is for your own welfare that you stay in Hogwarts." Willow nodded quietly, but said nothing. "Now, have you packed your books and clothes?"

"Yes Professor."

"Good. I'll fetch the house elves to bring them to your dormitory then."

"Thank you Professor." Willow watched Professor McGonagall left, before lying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling sadly.

... 

"Let me get this straight." Ron frowned. "Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after you?"

"Yeah." Harry sighed.

"But they would catch Black, wouldn't they?" Hermione asked. "I mean, everyone's looking for him."

"Sure, except no one had escaped from Azkaban before, and he's a murderous raving maniac-"

"RON!" Buffy warned, before turning towards Xander who had been keeping quiet for all these time.

"What?" Ron frowned. "Don't tell me you think he isn't-"

"He is." Xander said angrily. "Just like my father."

"Xander..."

"Isn't he? I mean, my dad's a murderer, it only make sense that he is one. Hey! May be this time he will try to kill me too! Since my mum's a muggle and I'm a half-blood! I just wish they wouldn't only catch him this time. I wish they'd shoot him like a dog!" Xander shouted before standing up and stormed out of the car.

Buffy turned towards Ron and hit him from the back of his head. "Look what you've done!"

"What? What did I say?"

"Serious Black-"

"Sirius." Hermione corrected.

"**Sirius**, okay?" Buffy glared at Hermione before turning towards Ron. "He's Xander's uncle Ron. He's his dad's elder brother. They served together in Azkaban." The blond hissed before opening the door of the car and ran after Xander.

Ron, Hermione and Harry exchanged glance. "I shouldn't have corrected Buffy, should I?" Hermione asked quietly. The trio turned towards the door where their friends had disappeared, starring it quietly.

... 

"Xander, c'mon!" Buffy banged on the washroom door Xander had just stomped in. "I know you're in there! Don't make me kick down the door!" She shouted, banging on the door again, ignoring the looks she was getting from other students. Finally, the door was unlocked. Buffy pushed it opened, and found Xander standing there, looking down at the floor. "Xander?"

"I'm fine." Xander said, wiping his eyes with the collar of his robe. "It just hard... knowing that you don't only have a murder as a father but also your uncle... and he wants to kill your friend?" He whispered. "I don't want to become one of them."

"I know." Buffy replied softly. "And you won't. I mean, you aren't even a Black. You're a Harris." The blonde witch smiled. "And Alexander Regulus Harris is the bravest and most loyal person I've ever met. He is my best-best bud and I'm damn proud of it."

Xander smiled a bit. "You're my best-best bud too." The two friends exchanged hugs.

"C'mon. The others are worried." Buffy said, taking Xander's hand and started pulling him back towards the car their other friends were.

Xander looked down at their connected hands and blushed, smiling shying as he followed Buffy back to their car.

... 

"It's going to rain..." Hermione commanded, watching the sky covered by thick dark clouds with Harry and Ron. The trio turned when the door of the car opened and Xander and Buffy stepped inside.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"It's okay." Xander nodded at Ron before sitting in between Harry and the sleeping professor.

The five Gryffindor sat at their seat, looking at each other, awakened. "Hey, have you seen Willow?" Harry asked, breaking the silence. The other four looked at each other and shrugged. "Just wondering."

Suddenly, the train jerked violently. Ron, Hermione and Buffy almost got thrown out from their seats towards Xander, Harry and the sleeping professor. "Is he still sleeping?" Buffy frowned at the professor as she stood up slowly, being dropped onto the floor after the unexpected halt of the train. "What is he? Sleeping beauty?"

"Why are we stopping?" Hermione frowned. "We can't be there yet."

Harry stood and looked into the corridor, and found other students were peeking out from their cars too, wondering what was happening.

The train jolted, causing Harry to drop back into his seat and the door of the car slapped close again. "Don't know. May be it has broken down?" He asked. As if answering Harry's question, the lights started blinking and at the end, all the lights on the train went off, leaving only a slightly light coming from the clouds covered sky.

"Ouch! That's my foot you're stepping on." Hermione complained as Ron stood up.

"Sorry." Ron gambled and pressed his hands against the window, trying to get a clear look of the outside. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a shadow passing through in the dark. "I-I think there's something moving out there..." He said nervously.

Xander swallowed hard as he pinned his eyes on the window. "I think I saw something too..."

Suddenly, the train jolted again. The gang looked at each other nervously. "What the..." Buffy pointed at the window. Ron's hands shot back as a thin ice formed outside the window. The temperature in the car dropped dramatically, sending shiver into each of them.

The train jolted again. "Bloody hell!" Ron cursed. "What's going on?"

Harry blinked and turned towards the door. Same as the window outside, thin ice formed at the glass on the door, and they watched a huge shadow moving closer and closer towards the door. Buffy quickly moved back, pushing Hermione into Ron, trying to keep away from the door as far as possible.

Slowly, the door slid opened, revealing a cloaked figure behind it. The figure was so tall that its head reached the ceiling, its face hid totally behind the hood, its figures long and slimy like skeleton.

The whole car was in dead silence. The figure slowly turned towards Buffy, Hermione and Ron, studying them for a second, before turning towards Harry and Xander. It stopped when it saw Harry, and slowly, it drew a long slow breath. Air around sucked towards the figure, and the last thing Harry remembered was a bright light shinning from behind, and a woman's desperate screams echoed in his ears.

... 

Willow stood at the entrance of the castle, starring, waiting for the stagecoaches to bring the students back to Hogwarts. The redhead felt hair on the back of her neck suddenly stand, and the air around her became freezing. She looked around, and found a figure that covered with a dark heavy cloak floating towards her. "Dementors..." She whispered, remembering Dumbledore's warning just couple of days ago. They were to be guests at Hogwarts, guarding the school until at least the end of terms - unless the escaped prisoner from Azkaban had been caught.

The redhead blinked as the Dementor getting closer and closer, the unknown sadness and anger stirred inside of her in waves. Unconsciously, her eyes turned black, and the girl took a step towards it.

The Dementor stopped, seemly surprised by Willow's action. Willow took another step forward, her small hands tightened into fists with energy dancing around. The Dementor moved back a little, before spinning around and floated away.

"Ms Slytherin." The redhead almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and found Professor McGonagall standing there. "What are you looking at?" She asked curiously, looking at the direction where Willow had been staring.

"Nothing." Willow shook her head, answering just a bit too quickly.

Professor McGonagall frowned, confused, but didn't push. "Well, off you go then. You can wait for your friends in the Great Hall."

"Yes Professor." Willow nodded and quickly left for the Great Hall. The transfiguration professor watched as the redhead walked away, before turning her attention towards the gate, waiting for the students' arrival.

... 

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	3. Part 3 :: Thx IsiwaruOfCkaloatia! ::

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**Blood Ties**  
**Part 3**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks Joahn for beta reading and everyone who had reviewed the story. :)**  
Note 2: **(Mar 8) Thanks IsiwaruOfCkaloatia. I must have miss it when my change my beta-readed one to html version. You're the best. :)**

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... 

"Harry?" "Harry? Wake up..." "C'mon Harry..." "Harry? Are you alright?"

Harry blinked, and found several figures hanging over him. He blinked again, clearing his sight, when he found himself looking at his friends. "Thanks." He whispered as Hermione handed him his glasses, and slowly sat up.

"Here. Eat this." Harry looked up, and found the no-longer-sleeping professor handing him a piece of chocolate. "It's alright. It's chocolate."

Harry blinked, before accepting the chocolate and looked around at his friends who were looking back at him, concerned. His eyes moved towards the door of the car, and the memory of the dark figure opening the very same door flashed through his mind. "What... what was that thing?"

"A Dementor." Professor Lupin said. "One of the Dementors from Azkaban. They were searching the train for Sirius Black. Now, if you would excuse me," He handed the rest of the chocolate to Xander. "I need to have a word with the driver." He moved towards the door and opened it, stepping out. "Eat." He turned around and smiled at Harry. "You'll feel better."

Harry took a bite at the chocolate after the professor left, before turning towards his friends. "What happened?"

"That thing... the Dementor... just stood there and looked around," Buffy said. "I couldn't see its face but... then you fell."

"I thought you were having a fit or something." Ron continued. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching..."

"But then Professor Lupin stepped over you and pulled out his wand." Buffy said, and Ron couldn't help but raised an eyebrow at her friend's dreamy face. "And then there's this light, and that 'demon-tall'-"

"Dementor." Hermione couldn't help but corrected Buffy again.

"- **Dementor**..."Buffy rolled her eyes and continued. "...just turned and floated away."

"It was horrible." Xander plugged in, looking around. "Did you guys feel how cold it got when it came in?" Buffy nodded immediately.

"I felt weird." Ron frowned, shifting in his seat nervously. "Like I'd never be cheerful again..."

"I heard someone screaming." Harry swallowed. "A woman."

"No one was screaming Harry." Hermione frowned.

Harry blinked worriedly, before turning towards the window, watching as the rain smashing against the glass.

... 

"Willow!"

Willow looked up from the table and found Dawn stepping into the Great Hall. "Dawn!" The two friends immediately threw themselves into each others' arms. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too." Dawn grinned, pulling Willow to the table. "Owling is not as good as talking to you face to face."

"Tell me about it." Willow smiled. "So, how was your summer? It's so exciting visiting Las Vegas! I mean, I lived in the state next to it for all my life and I haven't even **been** to LA, and it's just three hours drive." She paused. "Okay. It sounds more pathetic than I had intended."

Dawn laughed. "It's okay. Kinda boring, actually. My parents spent days in the casino and left me in the hotel room. Said something about easy muggle money." She pouted. "But gotta say, that muggle thing? Um... what is it called... 'tea-we'?"

"Tea-we?" Willow thought for a second. "You mean TV? Television?"

"Right. TV. Watching that TV thing was kinda fun, actually. Especially 'The Simpsons'."

"Of course! It's like the best cartoon in history!" Willow smiled. "I used to hide in the basement just to watch it. Nana always said it's not suitable for young child."

"Cartoon." Dawn cocked her head. "Is that what they're called?"

"Oh boy. I really have to teach you the fine art of television."

... 

Harry was following his friends and other students towards the Great Hall when he heard an annoying yet familiar voice from behind. "Potter." He turned and rolled his eyes when he saw Draco Malfoy and his friends walking towards him. "So you're still here. I bet Dumbledore covered it up again, didn't he? Using magic in front of those muggles, thinking how good you are." Draco snorted and gave Harry a dirty look.

"You used magic outside of school?" Hermione frowned.

"I'll tell you later." Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Not so brave coming back here, Potter?" Vincent Crabbe, one of Draco's friends, smirked. "I heard he fainted on the train."

"Is that true?" Draco's eyes widened with amusement. "That you fainted? That you actually fainted?"

"Shut up, Malfoy." Ron hissed, pulling Harry into the Great Hall with him, ignoring the laugher from the Slytherin students.

... 

"I wonder if I can get mum to buy me a TV this Christmas."

"I doubt it." Willow said to Dawn. "I mean, you'll have to have electricity to watch TV. Even if she did buy you one-"

"Willow." Dawn couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard Draco's voice from behind. She turned, and found the Slytherin prince had already positioned himself next to Willow.

"Hi Draco." Willow smiled.

"Do you have any manners?" Dawn snorted. "**We** are talking."

"Why Rosier?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "Not happy to see me? Or you're jealous that I talk to Willow but not you?"

"Pfft. Like I would. Why don't you go back to your **girlfriend**? I'm sure she would be more than happy to be annoyed by you."

"Parkinson is **not** my girlfriend."

"I never said Parkinson." Dawn smirked. Draco face immediately flashed with anger.

"Welcome!" The students turned towards the headmaster who was now standing in front of the teachers' table. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Now, I like to say a few words, before we are all befuddled by our excellent feast." He smiled. "First, I would like you all to welcome Professor R. J. Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck Professor." Professor Lupin stood, and nodded at the students. Every one in the Hall started clapping.

After the clapping died down, Professor Dumbledore continued. "Secondly, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid."

Everyone in the Great Hall started cheering and clapping. Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to Hagrid at the teachers' table, sent an elbow towards the half giant and nodded at the students. Hagrid stood immediately, his big torso hit the table, causing it to jolt forward. Laugher filled the Great Hall, making the nervous giant's face flashed in embarrassment.

"And on one final note," Dumbledore said after Professor McGonagall hinted Hagrid to sit down. "Under the request of the Ministry of the Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban." Everyone in the Great Hall immediately started whispering to each other. "Until such a time as Sirius Black's captured, the Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. While their presence will not disturb our day to day activities, a word of caution: Dementors are suspicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their ways. Therefore I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be... forgiving."

The headmaster waited for a moment before continued. "But you know," He said. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of time..." Willow looked up, and couldn't help but feel that the headmaster was directing the comment at her. "If we only to remember... to turn on the light."

... 

Harry and co moved towards the Gryffindor dormitory. Percy, who was standing at the front, called out towards Fat Lady. "Fortuna Major." He frowned when Fat Lady ignored him and continued singing, holding a wine glass in her hand. "She won't let me in." He told the gang.

Xander rolled his eyes and moved forward, standing in front of the portrait. "Fortuna Major!"

"Wait wait wait!" The Fat Lady frowned, before turning back towards the glass and started singing a high note. Combining with her lack of singing talent, the sound came out like a 'someone's-trying-to-kill-me-so-I'm-screaming-my-bloody-throat-out' scream than singing. Everyone immediately covered their ears.

The Fat Lady kept screaming, her eyes dragging between the wine glass and the students, before smashing the glass towards a pole nearby, breaking it. "Amazing!" She smiled brightly, showing off the broken glass to them as if her voice had broken it instead of her hand. "My voice-"

Buffy pushed forward. "You got to be pushy, Pushy Weasley." Percy frowned at the nick name Buffy gave him since they met. The blond witch turned towards Fat Lady and narrowed her eyes. "Fortuna Major!"

The Fat Lady pouted. "Alright. Come in." She opened the door, and let the students walked through.

"Man, we got to find some new hobbies for the Fat Lady." Xander said, and immediately received a nod from Ron.

... 

"You should be glad that you weren't on the train." Dawn said, lying on Willow's bed in the dormitory they shared with other students. "I mean, those Dementors are horrible."

"I heard Harry Potter passed out after seeing a Dementor." Tracey Davis, their other roommate who was lying on the bed, said.

"I won't go that far but... I guess it's understandable." Dawn shrugged. "Did you suddenly feel cold when it came near you?" She asked.

Tracey nodded immediately. "Yeah. It felt like I was under water or something."

"Sounds bad." Willow commanded, picking up another book from her trunk and put it on her table nearby.

"It is!" Dawn whined.

Tracey smiled at her friend when something suddenly occurred to her. "Hey, weren't you staying here for the whole summer? Haven't you met one?"

"I met one earlier today but... I don't really feel any differences..." Willow thought for a moment. "Except the cold, I guess." She turned towards her friends. "Besides, I had spent most of my time in my room. We didn't really have many chances to meet.

"I still can't believe Dumbledore is your legal guardian. It's like... having school the whole year without holidays." Dawn said, making a face.

"It's not that bad." Willow laughed. "Dumbledore even got me a separate room in the castle, you know, like my own bedroom?"

"Really?" Dawn eyes brightened. "It's so cool to have your own room." She paused. "Not that I don't like you guys being my roommates but sharing a room with Parkinson..." Her eyes moved towards the bed that belonged to Pansy Parkinson. "It's a bit too much."

"Tell me about it." Tracey gambled.

"Wow! Don't know you have that in you!" Dawn mocked.

"What? She snores!"

Willow watched her friends laughing, before turning towards the window, watching as a Dementor flew pass it and disappeared into the night.

... 

* * *


	4. Part 4

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 4**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thank you Joahn for beta reading the story! Also, thanks all the wonderful reviews! You guys are the best:)**

* * *

... 

Buffy and Xander were sitting at the same table in the Divination classroom that looked more like a small cafe than a classroom, each with a book and a finished cup of tea in front of them. Next to them were Harry and Ron, who were staring at the professor at the front of the class curiously.

"Welcome, my children." The Divination professor said. "In this room you shall explore the noble art of Divination;" She exclaimed, her eyes scanning the students through the three-inch thick glasses on her nose. "In this room you shall discover if you possess the **sight**!" She stood up from the chair and crashed into the small table in front of her. Everyone in the room laughed.

"I think she's the only one who doesn't have the 'sight' in this room." Xander whispered, and Buffy giggled immediately.

The professor quickly steadied herself. "I'm Professor Sibyl Trelawney; and together, we shall cast ourselves into the future!"

"Sounds like a cheesy salesman." Buffy commanded again.

"The first term we will be devoted to the art of reading tea leaves so please, pick up the cup and give it to the person opposite you." Everyone in the class exchanged cups. "You see, truth lies within the patterns of the leaves, but first," the professor moved towards Buffy and stopped in front of her. "You must broaden your minds!" She put her hands onto Buffy's head, holding it like a ball. "First, you must look beyond!" She suddenly held up her arms and pointed at the ceiling. Every one's heads immediately followed her hands, only to find a very old ceiling in front of their eyes.

"What is this rubbish!"

Harry and Ron spun around, startled when they saw Hermione sitting behind them with Willow. "Where did you come from?" Ron's eyes widened at the pair, surprised as he couldn't remember seeing the pair earlier.

"Door?" Willow supplied.

"We've been here all the time." Hermione rolled her eyes, before flashing a knowing smile at the Slytherin redhead.

"You boy," Professor Trelawney moved towards Neville Longbottom. "Is your grandmother quite well?"

"I-I think so." Neville answered nervously.

"Don't be so sure about that." The professor said. "Here. Give me his cup." Neville's partner quickly handed over Neville's cup. The professor examined it for a second, before putting it back on the table. "Oh dear." She exclaimed and moved away without another word. Neville quickly picked the cup up and looked into it, worried.

"Broaden your mind... Oh. OH!" The professor halted in front of Ron, surprising the redhead. "Oh! Your aura is pouncing! Are you in the beyond? I think you are. Come. Come and see."

Ron blinked. "S-sure." He quickly opened his textbook and started looking for the patterns he saw in the cup. "There's sort of crooky cross?" He looked into the book. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering'... and... um... there's a thing that could be the sun, and that means 'happiness'... so um..." Ron looked back up at the professor. "You're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it?"

Willow's hands shot up and covered her mouth, trying to shove down the giggle in her throat, while Hermione merely sat there and rolled her eyes again.

"Give me the cup." Ron handed Professor Trelawney the cup. Suddenly, the professor jumped back as if she had been touched by fire. Harry's hands shot out and caught the cup before it hit the floor. "M-m-my dear," Trelawney blinked in fear. "Y-you have the grim!"

"The green?" Buffy blinked.

"The grim." Xander corrected and frowned. "What's a grim?"

"The grim." Willow said quietly from behind. "It is among the darkest omen in the world: the omen... of death."

Harry swallowed, looking down at the cup fearfully.

... 

After the Divination class, Willow skipped her lunch, and headed straight for Hagrid. "Hagrid!" She smiled when she saw Hagrid picking up several dead ferrets from the hooks outside the pumpkin field.

"Willow." Hagrid's face brightened. "What 'yer doing here?"

"Just came by to see if you needed any help. I'm going to have your class after lunch." Willow replied. "Oh, and thank you for not telling Professor McGonagall that I had come here without an escort."

Hagrid nodded, but the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a more serious look. "Yer be careful, ha? Yer in big trouble if the Minis'er found out."

Willow nodded. "So, um... where's Buckbeak?" She looked around.

"Yer see him la' in class." Willow pouted, and gave Hagrid her puppy look. Hagrid laughed. "C'mon."

... 

After lunch, the gang left the castle and walked towards Hagrid's hut for the Care of Magical Creatures class. "You don't think that grim thing has anything to do with Sirius Black, do you?" Ron asked, walking next to Xander.

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said from behind. "If you ask me Divination seems very woolly. Now, Ancient Runes - that's a fantastic subject."

"Ancient Runes?" Buffy blinked. "Exactly how many classes are you taking this year?"

Hermione shrugged. "A few."

"Hang on." Ron halted and turned towards Hermione. "That's not possible! Ancient Runes is almost the same time as Divination! You'd have to be in two classes at once!"

"Don't be silly, Ron." Hermione waved her hand a little before walking passed the redhead. "How can anyone be in two classes at once?"

"Maybe if you cut yourself into half and produced another Hermione?" Xander asked, and the others immediately turned towards him, sending him strange looks. "You know? Like worms? You cut it in half and it grows another part to become another whole worm?" The others were still staring at him. "What?"

"Ah. Professor Trelawney must have successfully broadened your mind then." Buffy petted on Xander's shoulder and laughed, before following Hermione towards Hagrid's hut.

"What?"

... 

"C'mon now, get closer!" Hagrid called from in front of his hut as the students approached. "Go' a real treat for yeh today! A great lesson!" He smiled at the students. "Everyone here?"

Hermione moved towards the half-giant. "Willow's not here yet."

"Willow's is taking this class too?" Harry asked, and received a shrugged from Buffy.

"Oh. She's already 'here." Hagrid smiled. "Follow me!" He called, and the groups of students started following Hagrid into the forest. After several minutes, the students reached a clearing with stone fences around a meter high surrounding it. "Now, you lot, quit chat'ering. Gather 'round the fence, and open your books to page 49."

"And how do we do that?" Draco snorted, looking down at the Monster Book of Monsters in hands.

"Yeh stroke 'em of course." Hagrid said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Goodness me." He rolled his eyes and started moving away.

The students started splitting around the fence. Neville opened his textbook, and instantly, the book started attacking the youngster. Every one in the class started laughing.

"Stroke your book..." Buffy frowned, staring at the book in her hand. "Why am I suddenly feeling very Giles-ish?"

"I think it's funny." Hermione said, stroking hers.

"Yeah. Tremendously funny." The gang turned and found Draco standing there with his band of followers. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off! Wait until my father hears about this Oger teaching class!"

"Shut up Malfoy." Harry warned, stepping towards Draco.

"Wow." Draco raised an impressive eyebrow at Harry before tossing his bag towards Vincent Crabbe and moving forward, face to face with the Gryffindor. Other students started gathering around, with Gryffindor students standing behind Harry and Slytherin students standing behind Draco.

The two stared at each other for several seconds, before Draco stepped back suddenly, pointing behind Harry. "Dementor! Dementor!"

Harry and other Gryffindors immediately spun around, finding nothing except Draco and other students' laugher in the air. Harry turned back towards Draco angrily, only to make him laughed even louder. The Slytherins pulled up their hoods, holding up their hands, and started making ghostly noises, pretending to be Dementors. Hermione had to pull Buffy back before she could rush forward and punch Draco.

Neville chose the exact time to walk back to his friends, his clothes were torn into pieces. Xander giggled and moved towards him. "Good fight, Neville. Very manly." Neville merely sent a glare at him.

Hagrid moved back towards the group of students and cleared his throat. Every one turned towards him, and stared in silence at the creature standing not far from behind him. It looked like a horse, and yet it had a eagle head and claws for its front legs, along with a matching pair of wings on its back. On its back, Willow was sitting there, combing its feather. "Say hello to Buckbeak." He said.

"What... what exactly is that?" Xander asked.

Willow jumped down from Buckbeak's back, her hand smoothing his feathers. "Buckbeak is a hippogriff." She supplied. Hearing its name, Buckbeak moved forward, his head shooting towards Willow. Xander screamed at the sudden movement of the hippogriff, only to receive an eyebrow from both Hagrid and Willow. He blinked as Buckbeak used its head to smooth Willow's cheek instead of biting her head off.

Hagrid cleared his throat. "The first thing you wanna know about hippogriffs, is that they're a very proud creatures, very easily offended." The half giant said seriously. "You **do not** want to insult a hippogriff: it may be the last thing you ever do." Then he clapped his hand and smiled brightly. "Now, who would like to come and say hello?" He asked, turning around and picked up one of the dead ferrets he had prepared earlier.

Willow watched in amusement when the whole class, even Buffy and Hermione, took a couple steps back, leaving Harry standing there, alone, unaware that he was the only one at the front.

"Well done Harry." Hagrid smiled when he saw Harry standing there. "Well done."

Harry blinked in confusion, before turning back towards his friends - only to find that they were standing behind him - very far behind.

"The grim, Buffy." Xander whispered to Buffy. "I think it's coming true."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at Xander. "Yeah. And if his omen did come true, so will be yours."

"Mine?"

"The omen that said 'you're gonna be beat up by me'."

"Can I trade with Harry?" Xander asked and swallowed when he saw Buffy's face.

... 

* * *


	5. Part 5

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 5**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks Joahn for beta reading the story!**  
Note 2: **Oh. And HAPPY EASTER:)**

* * *

... 

"Come on Harry. Come on." Hagrid smiled. Harry turned and looked at his friends, only to receive the same fearful look on their faces.

Buffy took a step forward and petted Harry's shoulder. "Break a leg." She flashed Harry a smile, before pushing him towards Hagrid.

Harry swallowed. "I don't want my leg to be broken." He rumbled and started walking towards Hagrid very slowly.

"Now, yer wait for the hippogriff ter make the firs' move. It's only polite." The professor explained. "Got eye contact, step up, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait, see if he bows back. If he does, yer can go and touch him. If not?" Paused. "Well, we'll ge' to that later." He shrugged.

Willow moved away and stepped beside Hagrid as Harry slowly walked up towards the hippogriff. "Make your bow." Hagrid said softly. Harry stopped and bowed.

The hippogriff stared at Harry for a second before flicking its wings and let out a loud whistle. Every one jumped at Buckbeak's voice. "Back off Harry! Back off!" Hagrid called urgently. Harry jumped back, only to step onto a branch on the ground, making a sharp noise. "Keep still." Hagrid warned. "Keep. Still."

Buckbeak blinked at the youngster, studying him. After several minutes of silence, the hippogriff bowed. "Well done Harry." Hagrid grinned. "Well done." Harry sighed in relief. Hagrid threw a dead ferret at the hippogriff and it quickly caught it in the air and ate it. "Right. Yer can go and pet him now." Harry swallowed. "Go on. Don't be shy." Hagrid encouraged.

Harry nodded and walked towards the hippogriff. He held out his hand, trying to reach for Buckbeak when it let out another warning whistle.

Hearing the hippogriff's sudden warning, Hermione's hand shot towards Ron's and held it tight. The two Gryffindors slowly looked down, instantly aware of their connected hands. Hermione immediately let go of it and moved away, positioned herself next to Buffy. Buffy raised an eyebrow and smirked when she saw the two flashed faces, but said nothing.

"Not so fast." Hagrid instructed. "Eas' and slow." Harry took a several more steps. "Now, stop and wait for it to come to yer." Harry stopped and waited. Soon enough, the hippogriff moved forward and let its head drop onto Harry's waiting palm. Harry grinned as he started petting Buckbeak.

Hagrid immediately clapped his hands, followed by other students. "Well done Harry! Well done!" He moved towards Harry and Buckbeak. "I reckon he might' let yeh ride him."

"What-" Before Harry could even register what Hagrid was saying, the half giant picked Harry up from behind and put him onto the back of the hippogriff.

"Don't pull any of his feathers, he won't like that." Hagrid said, swinging his hand towards Buckbeak's bottom, hard. The hippogriff whistled and ran forward, its wings flapped open and took off into the air, giving Harry barely enough time to seize around its neck and secure himself on its back.

"Cool." Buffy commented, watching the hippogriff flew into the air.

"May be next time you'll get the grim." Xander said, and they watched as Buckbeak circled the Hogwarts with Harry.

... 

After several minutes, Buckbeak finally landed back onto the clearing. "Well done Harry! Well done Buckbeak!" Hagrid grinned, and helped Harry down from the hippogriff's back. "How's your first day?" He whispered.

"Brilliant, professor." Harry whispered back, grinning when Hagrid blushed at the title. The dark haired Gryffindor then turned towards Willow, and the two quickly exchanged hug, much to other student's surprise. "I didn't see you on the train." He said towards the redhead.

"I didn't-"

"Oh please!" Willow's answer was cut short as Draco snorted, pushing away the students in front of him and matched towards Buckbeak. "I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" He said, closing up towards the large beast.

"Draco! No!" Willow shouted, but it was too late. Buckbeak whistled, standing on its heels and attacked Draco with its front claws. The blond boy screamed and fell on his back, holding him arm, blood quickly spread through his robes.

Hagrid ran forward and positioned himself in between Draco and Buckbeak before it could do any more damage. "Buckbeak!" He warned, holding up his arms, trying to get it to calm down.

Willow picked up a dead ferret Hagrid and brought and waved it in the air, trying to gain the hippogriff's attention. "Buckbeak!" Buckbeak turned towards Willow, and the redhead quickly threw it towards the other end of the fence, sighing in relief when it walked away from Draco and went to claim its food.

"You silly creature." Hagrid shook his head before turning back towards Draco, watching as the youngster rolling on the ground, moaning, rumbling 'it's killing me'. "Calm down. I-it's just a scratch." Hagrid smoothed, shifting his legs, clearly didn't know what to do.

"Hagrid. He has to be taken to the hospital." Hermione said urgently.

Hagrid blinked for second. "Right. I'm the teacher. I can do it." He bended down and picked up the injured student, and stopped and turned towards Willow.

"I'll take care of Buckbeak." Willow nodded at Hagrid's silent question. "Go."

"You're going to regret this! I'm going to make you a bloody chicken!" Draco moaned.

"Class dismissed!" Hagrid announced, ignored the grumbles coming from the Slytherin in his arms, and quickly ran towards the hospital wing. Other students started walking away from the clearing, leaving only Harry and his friends standing there.

"I hope he will be alright." Buffy commented.

"I hope he lost his arm." Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione turned towards Ron. "It's not funny. We're not going to hear the end of it."

Willow put an iron chain around the hippogriff and turned towards Harry and co. "Wanna join me? I'm going to bring him back to Hagrid's."

"No thanks." Xander blinked. "I would rather keep my arms, thank you very much." He turned towards the others. "Coming?"

"Yeah." "Sure." "Okay."

Harry smiled at Willow. "I'll come with you."

Willow nodded, and the two of them lead Buckbeak back towards Hagrid's hut. Buffy, Ron, Xander and Hermione watched as the Slytherin and Gryffindor left.

"Do you think it will be alright?" Xander asked quietly. "I mean, with Sirius still at large..."

"What does Harry and Willow being friends have to do with Black?" Ron frowned.

"Think about it Ron. He wants to kill Harry, and Slytherin's father..."

Buffy blinked. "But Black won't come here, right? I mean, Hogwarts is guarded by the Dementors..."

The four stared at each other, none of them had answers to the question.

... 

"You seem to be familiar with him." Harry commented as he made the way back towards Hagrid's hut with Willow and the hippogriff.

"Buckbeak's been keeping me company during the summer... or the other way around?" Willow shook her head. "Anyway, he is like my non-arm-biting-horsie."

"Non-arm-biting-horsie?" Harry gave Willow a skeptic look.

"What?" Willow frowned. "I'll have you know that horses are very frightening creatures. They put on their poker face most of the time and then when you get closer - BOOM!" The redhead threw up her hands dramatically, scaring Harry and Buckbeak for a second. "They bite your arm off! They're just like over-size ponies!" Harry laughed. "What? They are evil!"

Harry laughed harder. Willow pouted, securing the chain around Buckbeak's neck to a post next to the pumpkin field. "Laugh all you will, Harry Potter." The redhead put her hands on her hips. "But don't come to me crying when a horse bites your arms off." The dark haired boy laughed so hard that he dropped onto the ground, his arms covering his hurting stomach. The redhead sat down, her back against the strong torso of the hippogriff, her arms crossed in front of her chest, still pouting.

"S-sorry." Harry took a couple deep breaths to calm himself and smiled at Willow. "You're just..." He giggled. "I don't think I've met anyone who is scared of horse. I mean, spider, I understand. But horse?"

"Yuck. Spider?" Willow made a face. "Just yuck!"

Harry giggled again. "You're as bad as Ron."

Willow smiled sadly at the mention of the name, before looking down at her hands. "I don't think he likes me very much." She whispered. "Or Xander." Harry looked at Willow, the giggles died in his throat. He slowly crawled his way towards the redhead and sat next to her. "I think they hate me." She paused. "Or they're scared of me. I don't know which."

Harry looked at the redhead, but didn't know what to say. "Hey," He suddenly remembered. "You still haven't told me why I didn't see you on the train! I'm pretty sure you didn't stay with Draco."

Willow shrugged. "Dumbledore said I can't leave the Hogwarts ground."

"He said you can't leave?"

"Not 'can't' but... You remembered the last time when we met in Diagon Alley?" Harry nodded. "I would have to have someone from the Ministry with me if I left Hogwarts, and well, leaving here only to take a train to come back sounds..."

"Stupid?"

"Well, I'm thinking along the line of 'insane' but... yeah."

"But taking the Hogwarts Express for the new term is a tradition!"

Willow shrugged. "Don't really have much choice in the matter." She turned away and started smoothing the feather of the hippogriff.

Harry looked at his friend quietly; his heart went out to her. His hand reached for the redhead's hand on the ground and squeezed it slightly. Willow turned, smiled sadly at Harry, before looking up towards the sky. Harry leaned back towards Buckbeak, joining the redhead and staring at the sky.

The two of them sat there, watching the clouds floating in the sky silently. "Willow?" Harry asked after a moment of silent.

"Um?"

"Do you know anything about... Black?"

Willow cocked her head and turned towards Harry. "Who?"

"Sirius Black?" Willow looked at him blankly. "The prisoner who had escaped from Azkaban?"

"Oh, right. Him. Yeah. Just enough to know he is very dangerous. They said something about he murdered people or something. Why?"

Harry thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "Nothing."

Willow narrowed her eyes at the dark haired boy for a second, before turning back towards the sky, enjoying the quiet moment between them.

... 

Later that day, Willow walked into the hospital wing with a bunch of flowers in hand. "Hey Draco." The redhead took the chair next to Draco's bed and looked around. "Where are Crabbe and Goyle?"

Draco smile brightened when he saw Willow. "I told them to walk Parkinson back."

The redhead nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"It still hurts." He pouted.

Madam Pomfrey turned towards Draco as she passed by, and shook her head. "Why are you still here?" She asked. "You can go now."

Draco sent a glare in her direction. Willow smiled, and held out her hand. "C'mon." Draco nodded, accepting the hand, and started making their way towards the Slytherin dormitory.

"Wait until my father heard about it." Draco remarked as they made their way down the corridor.

"You can't really blame Buckbeak for that." Willow frowned. "You shouldn't have challenged him in the first place. Hippogriffs don't take this kind of thing lightly."

Draco halted. "Me challenging him! He is not even a 'he' Willow! It is a bloody thing!" He said angrily. "You're not taking that stupid giant's side now, are you!"

"I'm not taking sides. I just don't think it's Buckbeak's fault."

"How could **this**-" He pointed at his injured arm. "-not be its fault! Oh I know, did Saint Potter tell you to talk to me? Or that mudblood?"

"What? No!" Willow looked modified. "It's not about Harry or Hermione, or anyone!"

"Oh, **Harry** ha? So what? You're worshiping him now?"

"What the heck are you talking about?" The redhead felt her anger rising every second. "I don't worship him! We're friends!"

"Right! Friends with the mudblood and mudblood lover!" Draco rolled his eyes. "How can you do this? Betraying your own name? Your own blood?"

Willow's face darkened. "You know nothing about me, about my name, about my blood!" She shouted angrily, before disappearing around the corner, leaving Draco standing there, dumbfound.

... 

* * *


	6. Part 6

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 6**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Big thanks to Joahn for beta reading the story! Oh oh! Don't forget all those wonderful reviews:)**  
Note 2: **Take a guess. Where does 0.693147180 come from? (Hint: Technically it should be 0.6931471805599...)**

* * *

... 

"Point-six-nine-three-one-four-seven-one-eight-zero." Willow blurted out without a second thought and rushed into the room she had been sleeping in the whole summer. Throwing herself onto the bed, the redhead's head was buried into the pillows, a loud sob escaped from her throat.

After several minutes, the redhead finally calmed down a bit. She wiped dry her face and sat up, her hand reaching for the trunk at the end of her bed. Opening it, she took out her father's destroyed diary, her hands slowly tracing the hole on it. The headmaster had given it to her after Harry had returned the diary, claiming that it would only make sense that Willow had it instead of him - of course, it was after he had confirmed the magic and the memory within the book was destroyed.

Willow's hand tightened when she remembered her encounter with her father's memory. She had not wanted to destroy it, but she knew it was the only way to save Ginny. Sometimes she wished she had never found the Chamber of Secrets. That way she wouldn't have met her father (even thought it was only a memory), she wouldn't have had to destroy the diary that might well have been the only thing she could have to understand the man who had given her life, wouldn't have to accept the fact that she had destroyed the chance by her own hands - even if it saved a life.

But then, if she had a chance to do it all over again, she would probably choose to do the same: she couldn't let Harry to be the one who destroyed the diary. Because if she did, she knew, deep in her gut, that she might never forgive him - no matter if it was for greater good, no matter that she would, and had, do the same in order to save an innocent's life.

Still, it was a grudge that the redhead knew wouldn't leave her soon, just as the coldness and distrust she had been receiving from people since she had entered the wizarding world. Granted, she now knew the reason behind all these, but it didn't make it hurt less. She had done nothing wrong, at least as far as she knew, but yet, it seemed that almost every one in the wizarding world was watching her, as if expecting her to go crazy and turn everyone into bangers and mash, or something like that. Even if her father was really as evil as they said, it didn't mean the one who had half his DNA would also be evil... did it?

Did it justify treating her as a second-class citizen just because she had Voldemort as her father?

Did it justify identifying her as bad just because her father was being identified as one?

Did her blood really tie her to her father... and his evilness?

... 

After dinner, Hermione had gone to the library while Ron and Harry and stayed in the Great Hall playing chess. Not wanting to do anything that was brain-related, the blond witch made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Stepping through the portrait hole, Buffy looked around, surprised when she saw Xander sitting at the far end, a thick book in his hand, a concentrating look on his face. "Xander? Are you studying?" She moved towards him and asked, but the dark haired boy was so absorbed in the book that didn't notice the blond witch. "Xand-der!"

"Wha!" Xander jumped, dropping the book in process. He looked up, and found his best friend standing there, her hands on her hips. "Oh. Hey Buff." The dark hair boy sighed in relief. "You scared me."

"What'cha reading?" Buffy bent down, reaching for the book on the floor before her friend could protest. "'Combat against Wizards'?" She frowned. "We need this for class?"

"No." Xander scratched the book away from Buffy. "Just some extra reading."

"Extra reading? You haven't even finished the 'non-extra' reading. Besides, isn't it a bit too advanced for us? I though it was only for seventh year." She narrowed her eyes. "Do you even half understand what it says?" Xander's shoulder dropped in defeat. "What's going on?"

"I..." The dark haired boy sighed. "I can't let Sirius hurt Harry, Buff. He's my friend."

Buffy sighed, taking the seat next to her friend. "Reading some spell book that you can't understand won't help, Xand."

"I just... I hate this. Being so helpless."

"Trust me. You're not the only one." Paused. "And you don't need to prove to anyone that you're not one of them. We all know you're on the good side."

"Do I? Half of the wizarding world thinks I'm a trash just because my dad's a murderer and my uncle's a death eater."

"You're not." Buffy put her hand on her friend's shoulder and squeezed it slightly, but Xander didn't reply. Instead, he stood and walked towards his dormitory.

All Buffy could do was sit there, watching as her friend disappeared up the stairs.

... 

"Does it hurt?"

"It comes and goes. They said I could have lost my arm. I considered myself lucky..."

Xander looked up from his place when he heard Parkinson and Draco talking while they were walking pass him. He rolled his eyes and turned towards Buffy who was sitting next to him. "Look at him, whining like a girl."

"Told you we'd never hear the end of it." Hermione said.

"What do you expect? He's a blond." Buffy shrugged.

The other four looked at each other before turning back towards Buffy, raising their eyebrows. "Aren't you a blond too?"

"I'm a **blonde**, not a **blond**." The other four looked at each other, their eyebrows still holding high, question marks popping up from their heads.

"He has been sighted! He has been sighted!"

The confusing moment was forgotten as the gang heard someone shouting and running towards them. They looked up and saw Seamus Finnigan, one of the Gryffindor, rushing into the study hall with a newspaper in hand. "Who?" Xander asked.

"Sirius Black!" Every Gryffindor immediately turned towards Finnigan.

Hermione took the clipping from Finnigan and started reading it. "Honeydukes? It's not far from here!"

"You don't think he's coming here, do you?" Ron asked fearfully.

"But the Dementors are guarding every entrance!" Neville frowned.

"Dementors?" Finnigan snorted. "He already slipped past them once. Who could say he wouldn't do it again?"

"Finnigan's right." Dean Thomas, another Gryffindor, said. "Black could be anywhere. It's like catching black smoke, catching black smoke with bare hands..."

The gang looked at each other, the same worried expression on their faces.

... 

Harry, Buffy, Xander and Ron, along with other third year Gryffindor and Slytherin students, stood in front of a closed old wardrobe. Professor Lupin stood next to it, a small smile on his face. Everyone jumped when the wardrobe suddenly wobbled and banged on the wall.

"Now then," Professor Lupin said. "Anyone wanted to guess what's inside the wardrobe?"

"It's a boggart."

"Very good, Mr. Thomas." Professor Lupin smiled. "Now, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?"

"No one knows."

Ron jumped when he heard a voice next to him. He turned, looking at Hermione in confusion, before turning towards to Buffy. "When did she get here?" Buffy shrugged, looking just as confused as he was.

Hermione ignored Ron and continued. "A boggart is a shape-shifter. It takes the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us the most. That makes it so-"

"So terrifying, yes." Professor Lupin finished for her. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists that can repel a boggart. Let's practice now." He smiled at his students. "Ah, and without wand, please. After me, 'Riddikulus'."

"Riddikulus." The class echoed.

"Very good. Little louder, and very clear. Listen: **Riddikulus**."

"Riddikulus." The class echoed again.

Draco turned towards Crabbe and Goyle. "This class is ridiculous." He snorted, and immediately earned a nod from his fellow Slytherin.

"Very good. Well, so much for the easy part." Professor Lupin said. "See, the word alone is not enough. What really finishes a boggart is: laugher. You need to force it to assume the shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain." He looked around. "Um, Neville, would you join me please?" Neville looked around nervously. "C'mon. Don't be shy. C'mon." The professor encouraged.

Neville walked towards the professor nervously. "Now," Professor Lupin smiled at the youngster. "What frightens you most of all?"

"Professor Snape." Neville whispered so soft that not even Professor Lupin who was standing right in front of him could hear.

"What?"

"P-p-professor Snape." Neville said louder, and immediately earned some laughers from his classmates.

"Professor Snape." The Defense Against the Dark Art professor nodded. "Right. And um, I believe you live with your grandmother."

"Yes. But I don't want that boggart to turn to her either." Neville replied, and earned him more laughs from his classmates.

"It won't." Professor Lupin assured. "I want you to picture her clothes - **only** her clothes - very clearly in your mind."

"She carries a red-"

Professor Lupin shook his head. "No need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it." He smiled again. "Now, when I open up the wardrobe, here's what I want you to do." He walked towards the youngster and whispered something into his ears. Neville immediately turned to him, surprised. "Can you do that?"

Neville blinked at the professor, then towards the wardrobe, and then back to the professor again. He nodded.

"Good. Wand at the ready." The professor and Neville drew out their wands. "One, two, three."

The professor tipped his wand, and the door of the wardrobe unlocked itself. Everyone watched in silence as the door of the wardrobe opened slowly. Professor Snape matched out from the wardrobe, his face cold as usual, staring at Neville as if wanted to eat him alive. Neville swallowed, and pointed his wand towards the dark haired professor. "Riddikulus!"

Professor Snape stumbled back, and suddenly, his usual dark robes turned itself into a long lace-trimmed dress. A red big handbag was hanging on his arm, a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture on his head.

Every one in the classroom laughed. Professor Snape stood there, confused, seemly did not understand what was happening. "Wonderful Neville! Wonderful! Okay." Professor Lupin laughed. "Everyone form a line." The students immediately formed a line in front of the confused boggart. "Everyone picture the thing that you fear the most, and turn it into something... funny. Next!" He smiled. "Ron."

Ron, who was standing at the front, slowly walked up towards Professor Snape. And not a second later Professor Snape transformed into a giant spider. The redhead boy stood there, his hands shaking with fear as he drew out his wand and pointed at it. "Riddikulus!" Immediately, rollers appeared on all the six legs of the spiders, causing it sliding at all directions, not even able to stand straight. Everyone laughed again.

"Marvelous! Very good!" Professor Lupin smiled. "Next!"

Xander was the next. He stood in front of the rolling spider, laughing, before suddenly the spider turned into a clown. "Epp!" Xander jumped a bit as the clown stood there, a shinning knife in hand. He slowly walked towards Xander as the youngster drew his wand out and took a couple steps back. "Riddikulus!" He shouted.

The whole class went silence when the clown turned into an old man with white hair and moustache and a set of white suit and walking stick. Buffy blinked. "Is that the KFC guy?" She wondered aloud. As if hearing her question, the old man held out a box of KFC chicken from behind. Everyone started laughing again.

"What?" Xander frowned, looking at his classmates. "I'm hungry." His statement only made the others laughed harder.

Professor Lupin smiled. "Next!"

Harry took a step forward. He looked at the old man with his chicken, and concentrated on thinking of the one man he feared most - Voldemort. But to his horror, the memory on the Hogwarts Express flashed in front of him and suddenly, the man with the chicken turned itself into a Dementor.

... 

* * *


	7. Part 7 :: Thx IsiwaruOfCkaloatia! ::

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 7**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks Joahn for beta reading the story:)**

Note 2: **(May 23) Sorry IsiwaruOfCkaloatia about the whole 'guidance/guardian' thing. My brain just doesn't work like 99 of the time... forgive me:puppy eyes:**

* * *

... 

Harry froze at the front of the class, his eyes staring at the boggart-Dementor, watching it moving closer and closer.

Without second thought, Professor Lupin rushed forward and positioned himself between Harry and the boggart-Dementor. And as quickly as it appeared, the boggart changed again, this time as a bright moon in the night sky. "Riddikulus." The professor called lazily, and the moon quickly turned into a balloon and started shooting around the classroom like a loose rocket.

"Duck!" Buffy screamed as the balloon shot towards her and Hermione. The two Gryffindor ducked, and it crashed into the wall nearby and then dropped in front of Willow, who was standing behind them. As soon as the boggart-balloon touched the floor, it changed again. To everyone's confusion, it changed itself into another Willow Slytherin.

Willow stumbled back as she watched herself standing there with a smirk on her face. Slowly, the reddish hair of the boggart-Willow turned black, as were her eyes. Hermione quickly pulled the petrified student back as boggart-Willow took a step forward, ugly red energy dancing around her black orbs.

The blond and the redhead stumbled backward onto the ground, staring at the boggart-Willow. The shaking redhead drew out her wand and waved at the boggart, hard. "R-riddikulus." She whispered. But instead of changing shapes, boggart-Willow exploded, leaving nothing but a burn mark on the floor.

Every one, even the professor, froze in their spots as they stared at the redhead. The laugher that had once filled the room vanished, leaving only the sound of hard breathing from the young Slytherin in the air.

... 

"Poor Willow." Hermione commented as she matched down the corridor with her friends after the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "She is shaken up so badly."

"I would rather say: poor boggart." Xander said from behind. "I mean, last year she killed a Cornish Pixie, this year a boggart, and the term's just started. Who knows what she gonna kill next?"

"I thought that was the point of having DADA class." Buffy frowned.

"**Defense**, Buffy. The key word is defense. Not blow whatever is in front of us the hell up."

"Xander. Don't swear." Hermione warned. "Though I really want to know how she did that."

"Who is that girl by the way?" Buffy frowned. "Her twin or something?"

"I don't know. But whoever it is, it scared her, a lot." Hermione turned towards Harry. "What do you think?"

Harry shrugged.

"Who cares?" Ron snorted, throwing up his hands. "I just hope Professor Lupin will let us practice the spell again next time."

"He would... wouldn't he?" Xander frowned. "I mean, half of the class didn't get a turn with the boggart..."

"I hope so. I want to have a turn with the boggart too." Hermione sighed.

"Right. And what would it have been for you?" Ron said sarcastically. "A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten- ouch!" The redhead boy immediately sent a glance at Buffy and rubbed his stomach where the blonde had just elbowed him.

"Serves you right." Buffy stuck her tongue at Ron. The others laughed, and continued their way back towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

... 

"P-professor Lupin?"

The Defense Against the Dark Art professor turned around and found Willow standing in front of him nervously. "Yes, Ms Slytherin?"

"I'm really sorry about the boggart. I don't mean to... ah..."

"Kill it?"

Willow looked down at the floor, ashamed.

The professor studied Willow for a moment. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Ms Slytherin. But I had to admit, it was rather... surprising. May I ask what spell you were using?"

"The Riddikulus spell you taught. I don't know what went wrong but... it wasn't supposed to do that... was it?"

Professor Lupin put down the book he was holding and leaned against the desk behind him. "Is that what you were thinking when you did the spell?" He asked carefully.

Willow thought for a moment. "I don't know. I wasn't really thinking... you know? I didn't even think **she** would appear."

"Oh?"

"I mean, I was excepting the boggart to turn into a frog, with all the icky skin and big eyes and big mouth that can swallow you whole..." Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow, amused. "I've got a frog fear." She said weakly.

"I see."

"I-I really don't know what had happened. One minute I was ducking the balloon and next minute..." Willow tailed off. "But I really didn't mean to kill it! I swear!"

"Ms Slytherin, one of the purposes of Defense Against the Dark Arts class is to learn how to defend ourselves against those Dark Creatures. What you did was... surprising, but I couldn't say it wasn't effective." He paused. "Though we may have to discuss the matter with the headmaster, to figure out how it happened?"

Willow nodded. "I-I am not in trouble, am I?"

Professor Lupin smiled. "Of course not." Willow sighed. "May I ask... who is she?"

"I... ah..."

Professor Lupin cocked his head a bit. "Secret?" Willow bitted her lips. "It is fine if you don't feel comfortable telling me. Everyone should get to keep their own secret, as long as it doesn't hurt other people, right?" He smiled a bit. "Why don't you go back to your dormitory? It is almost dinner time." Willow nodded, and left the room quietly.

The professor went back behind his desk and sat down, his eyes staring at the door Willow had just left, frowning.

... 

Willow was walking back towards her dormitory when she saw Draco standing in front of the Slytherin Common Room portrait hole, staring at her. The two had not talked to each other since the night at the corridor outside the hospital wing. "Hey."

"Willow." Draco nodded. The two stood there and stared at each other, an awkward silence between them. Several seconds later, Willow sighed and stepped forward, fully excepting her classmate to let her pass - but he didn't. "Sorry."

The redhead Slytherin blinked at Draco's word, before slowly turning towards him, staring at him like he had grown a second head. "Huh?"

"I said, I'm sorry."

Willow's mouth hanged open, but no words came out. "What- what the- huh?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Do you have to make me repeat that again?"

"No. I just... You're apologizing... I never..." Willow frowned in confused. "I mean, you didn't..." She shook her head. "I just don't understand."

"I didn't mean to say those things to you." Draco said quietly, but only to receive a blank expression from the redhead. "That night? When we were arguing in the corridor after we left the hospital wing?"

"Oh." Willow blinked for a second before smiling. "Okay."

"I still don't get it why you were all cozy with the mudblood-"

"Draco." Willow sighed again, closing her eyes, rubbing her nose bridge. "They are my friends. I know you don't like them but... You know what? Why don't we just **not** talk about it anymore? You're the first one I knew from the wizarding world... well, except your dad, or my mum, or Dobbie when your dad went looking for me in the Sunnydale-" She paused and shook herself out from her babble. "The point is, you're the first wizard friend I have and I don't want anything to come between us... especially something that stupid."

Draco nodded in agreement. "No more discussion about mudblood and mudblood lovers."

Willow rolled her eyes. "C'mon." The redhead took Draco's hand and pulled him into the Common Room, missing the pink color that had appeared on the young Malfoy's face when their hands connected.

... 

"Who is he?" Buffy asked Hermione as they stood outside the castle with other students waiting for their first school visit to Hogsmeade, the only entirely wizarding village in Britain. Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor and Argus Filch, the caretaker had already arrived and started gathering the permission sheets from the students.

"Who?"

"That man." Hermione followed Buffy's line of sight and found an unfamiliar black man standing behind Willow who was chatting with Draco excitingly. He was bald and tall, with a single gold hoop earring on his left ear.

"Don't know. Haven't seen him before." Hermione shrugged. "Where are Ron, Xander and Harry?"

"May be Xander overslept again." Buffy rolled her eyes when she saw three figures rushing towards them. "Finally."

"Sorry." Xander quickly handed his permission sheet to Filch and walked towards Buffy and Hermione. "Overslept."

Buffy smirked and turned towards Hermione. "Told you."

"Now remember." Professor McGonagall said to the students. "These visits to Hogsmeade are privilege. Should you not behave yourselves, these privileges shall not be extended again."

Harry moved in front of the professor with a permission form in hand. "No permission form signed, no visiting the village." Professor McGonagall said before Harry could even get a word out. "That's the rule."

Filch smirked at the look on Harry's face before started walking towards the gate with a pile of permission forms in hand. "All those with permission please follow me." He said. "Those without, stay put."

Harry looked at the group of students leaving and immediately turned towards the head of the Gryffindor House. "No professor. I was hoping you could sign it-"

"No I can't!" Professor McGonagall snapped. "Only a parent or guardian can sign. Since I'm neither it would be inappropriate." Seeing the disappointed look on Harry's face, the professor softened. "I'm sorry Potter. That's my final word." She sighed, and went to join Filch and other students.

Buffy, Xander, Hermione and Ron stood there, watching the display quietly. "We can stay with you if you want?" Buffy asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. You guys go. I'll see you later." He answered, before turning around and disappeared into the castle.

"We better go." Xander said, before following the groups of students towards the gate with Ron and Hermione. Buffy stared at where Harry had just disappeared for a moment, before following her friends towards Hogsmeade.

... 

* * *


	8. Part 8

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 8**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thank you Joahn for beta reading the story!**  
Note 2: **I had forgotten to tell u guys the answer for the question in Part 6. Remember the password Willow used for her room? 0.693147180 (Well, it should be 0.693147181, but it's closed enough. Who cares about the .000000001 anyways? I myself remembered the number as 0.69314718... sorry. Babbling. Going on...) The number is actually the answer of In(2). So there. ;p**  
Note 3: **Sorry that it took longer and longer to update the story. I've just moved house so no internet, my exam's coming and assignments are a bh. Anyways, I'll try to update as soon as I can. Bare with me? (:very non-puppy puppy eyes:)**

* * *

... 

"Hm..." Willow stood in the middle of the Gladrags Wizardwear, a pair of bright red socks with a strawberry scent on her right hand and a pair of sharp orange socks with an orange scent on her left. She looked between the two, frowning, before turning towards Mr. Shacklebolt who was standing behind her. "What do you think?"

"Ah..." Mr. Shacklebolt looked between the two pair of socks, a drop of sweat appeared on his forehead. How did you choose between two equally bright colors, fruit smelling socks? "Why don't you buy both?"

The redhead witch looked between the two pair of socks again. "Okay." She smiled and skipped her way towards the counter. It was the first time in the redhead's life that she had ever gone shopping for clothes. Her mother used to send her new clothes that were out-dated and two sizes too large - which only caused other students in school to tease her more. After she had arrived at the wizarding world, Mrs. Malfoy had a tailor coming to the mansion measuring her for all her clothes and robes, giving the redhead no excuse to shop for clothes herself - something she had wanted to do for quite some time. Granted, she was only shopping for socks, but it didn't take her away from experiencing the joy of 'clothes shopping' that the redhead had overheard so many times from those popular girls at school.

"Ouch." Willow blinked when she suddenly felt something bumped into her leg. She looked down, and found a brunette around five sitting in front of her, her eyes pinning on the half eaten lollipop on the floor, sobbing. The young redhead immediately bent down. "Are you alright?"

"Oh my God, Kennedy." An older brunette appeared from behind the two and kneed in front of the little girl, checking all over her for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She then shoved the little girl up into her arms and turned towards Willow angrily. "What on earth did you do to my daughter?"

"I... I didn't..."

"Mrs. Wayne." Mr. Shacklebolt stood beside Willow. The older brunette eyes widened, obviously recognized the man in front of her. "I believe your daughter ran herself into Ms. Slytherin."

"Ms. Slytherin?" Mrs. Wayne whispered, her eyes turning back towards Willow, all color drained from her face. "**His** daughter?" She turned towards Mr. Shacklebolt and mouthed, looking for confirmation, only to receive a blank look from the Armor.

"I ah..." Not noticing the fear look on the older woman's face, Willow's hands reached for the pocket underneath her robe and pull out a bag of sweets she had bought earlier in Honeydukes. Quickly opening it, she took out a lollipop, and handed it to Kennedy. "Here. Have mine."

The brunette held out her hand to accept the lollipop when her mother took a step back, her eyes narrowed at the lollipop, as if expecting it to turn into a snake of something. "No t-thank you, Ms. Slytherin." She turned and nodded at Mr. Shacklebolt. "We better go." Without waiting for a reply, the older mother particularly ran out of the shop with her daughter in her arms.

Willow blinked for a second, processing what had just happened, before it finally hit her. "She knows, doesn't she?" She asked quietly, putting the bag of candies back into her pocket. "She knows who my father was, that's why she was so scared." Paused. "That's why she ran. She thinks I would hurt her."

"I'm sure it is not the case." Shacklebolt said.

"Isn't it?" Willow asked painfully, staring at the adult. "Just like the reason that the Minister sent you to guard me is **not** because I'm his daughter?" The redhead shook her head, and moved towards the counter to pay for her socks, not bothering to wait for the answer. She knew whatever Mr. Shacklebolt's answer was, it would never change the fact that everyone in the wizarding world was afraid of her - of her father. "We should go. Draco's waiting at Madame Puddifoot's."

Shacklebolt stared at the young witch for a moment, before nodding and followed her out of the shop.

... 

Once the other third year students left for Hogsmeade, Harry went looking for Professor Lupin, and the two of them had gone to the bridge in between the two higher towers of the castle, enjoying the beautiful view of Hogwarts. "Professor, can I ask you something?"

Professor Lupin turned and smiled warmly at his student. "What or why did I stop you from facing the boggart?"

"Yes sir."

"I had expected that the boggart would assume the shape of Voldemort." Harry's eyes' widened when the Defense of Dark Art professor did not fear to speak the Dark Lord's name out loud like other professors. "I didn't think it was a good idea for Voldemort to materialize in a room full of students."

Harry nodded, accepting the explanation. "I did think of Voldemort at first." The youngster said quietly. "But then I remembered that night on the train... with the Dementor."

"I'm very impressed. That suggests what you fear the most is the fear itself. It is very wise."

Harry looked at Professor Lupin for a moment. "Before I fainted," he swallowed. "I heard something. A woman... Screaming."

"Well, Dementors are supposed to bring up our very worst memories. Our pain becomes their power."

Harry leaned towards the railing, his eyes turned towards the green hills surrounding the castle. "I think it was my mother." He whispered. "The night when she was murdered."

The professor studied Harry for a moment. "You know, the very first time I saw you Harry, I recognized you immediately. Not by your scar, but by your eyes. You have your mother's... Lily's eyes." Harry spun around, surprised. "Yes. Oh yes. I knew her. Your mother was there for me at the time when no one else was. She was not only a gifted witch, but she also had a kindred soul."

The professor continued. "As for your father, James, was ah... shall we say,a talented trouble-maker?" Harry grinned. "Talent that had passed onto you." Professor Lupin smiled warmly at him. "You really are like them, Harry. Time will come to see just how much."

... 

After the third year students had returned from Hogsmeade and finished the Halloween feast, Harry and the gang slowly made their way back to the dormitory. "What's going on?" Buffy frowned when they reached for the stairs towards the portrait hole and found a group of Gryffindors gathering there, watching and waiting for something.

"Maybe there's a funny thing?" Xander asked excitedly, and immediately received strange looks from his friends. "I'm going in." He announced, before squeezing himself through the groups of students towards the dormitory door.

"Neville probably forgot the password again." Ron commented.

"Hey!" Everyone turned, and found Neville standing there, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Oh. You're here."

The Gryffindors turned towards the front again when they heard a voice cut through in the air. "Excuse me! I'm head boy! Get back! All of you!"

Buffy smiled excitedly when she recognized the voice. "Oh! Oh! Pushy Weasley strikes again."

Every one giggled at Buffy's comment except Hermione. "Shouldn't you say anything?" She turned towards Ron and asked.

"Like what?"

The brown haired witch frowned. "She's making fun of your brother." She pointed out.

"My **pushy** brother, you mean."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Percy is not pushy. He is just..."

"Stuffy?" Buffy provided.

"Pain in the ass?" Ron added.

"Bossy?" Buffy supplied again.

"Boring and uptight?" Ron said.

"Very..." Harry added. "Not us?" The gang spun around and stared at him. "What?"

"Oh my God. Harry made a funny joke!" Buffy laughed.

Harry smiled and shrugged. "Just telling the truth."

Xander chose the exact moment to squeeze himself back towards the gang. "The Fat Lady, she's gone!"

"What?" The gang turned towards the dark hair boy and blinked.

Buffy took a step forward towards the dark hair boy. "What do you mean? Gone?"

"Gone! Boom! Poof!" Xander waved his hands in the air like a madman.

"Boom?" Ron turned towards Harry, both looking at each other, confused.

"Poof?" Buffy blinked, her face turning red as she remembered the time she used the same word on Giles, and how clean her step-father's glasses had ended up when he tried to explain the other meaning of that word to her. "Bad word Xander! Bad word!"

"Move everyone! Move!" Filch shouted from the bottom of the stairs as he followed Professor Dumbledore towards the entrance of the Gryffindor dormitory. "Headmaster's here."

Every student immediately moved aside to let the headmaster pass through. The gang took the chance and made their way to the top of the stairs, and gasped when they saw the huge gaps in the middle of the painting - gaps that were clearly made by claws - very sharp claws. Professor Dumbledore's hand slowly traced the claw marks, before he turned towards Filch who was standing behind him. "Mr. Filch! Round up the ghosts!" The headmaster's eyes narrowed as he started looking around. "We're going to search every painting in the castle. Find the Fat Lady."

"No need for that professor." Filch sharp eyes narrowed as he pointed at the painting at the far end of the other side of the wall. "The Fat Lady's there."

Professor Dumbledore rushed towards the painting Filch was pointing at followed by the students. He stopped when he reached the painting, his eyes softened when he saw the ghost hiding behind a huge coach in another portrait, shaking badly. "Hey..." He called softly. "Who did this to you?"

The Fat Lady slowly peeked up from behind the couch. "It's him Headmaster!" She sobbed. "The one they all talk about! He's here! Somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!" She shouted, her head disappeared behind the coach again.

The headmaster's face hardened. "Secure the castle Mr. Filch! The rest of you! In the Great Hall!" Everyone started moving towards the Great Hall. Harry stared at the portrait the Fat Lady was hiding in, a frown on his face.

... 

* * *


	9. Part 9

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 9**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before. 

Note 1: **Thank you Joahn for beta reading the story! Can't do it without you! ;p**  
Note 2: **Thanks for all the reviews and stuff. I'll try updating it as soon as possible! Promise:)**

* * *

... 

"Sleeping bags?" Dawn narrowed her eyes as she halted at the doorway of the Great Hall with Willow and Draco next to her, her eyes staring at the lines of sleeping bags lying on the floor.

Willow frowned, scanning around the crowds of students from other houses, and found some similar confusion looks on their faces. Her eyes moved towards the other end of the hall where the Gryffindors were, and found most of them had this look - this unknown fear on their faces.

"May I have your attention please." Professor Dumbledore voice silenced the whispers in between the students. "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle." He said. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here."

"What!" Draco shouted. "You want me to spend a night here with them!" He pointed at the groups of students from Gryffindor.

"Don't be such a baby, Malfoy." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"No one asked for your option, Rosier." Draco snorted.

The headmaster either didn't hear Draco comment or simply chose to ignore him. "I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I'm leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge." He continued. "Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately. Send word with one of the ghosts." He pointed at the portraits on the wall before making his way towards the exit.

"Everyone!" Percy shouted from behind the headmaster. "Come on now! Into your sleeping bags. No more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"Stupid Pushy Weasley." Dawn rumbled, and moved towards one of the sleeping bags.

Willow giggled. "Buffy uses the same nickname on Percy Weasley."

"Oh please." Dawn rolled her eyes. "Dummy Summers? I'm surprised she even understood the word 'pushy'." She looked around. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Don't know." Willow frowned. "But whatever it is, it is bad. Really bad."

... 

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered, lying in the sleeping bag in between Buffy and Ron.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be." Ron whispered back.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight though." Buffy plugged in. "Everyone was in the Great Hall for the feast. If he chose another night..."

"I reckon he'd lost track of time, being on the run." Ron said. "Didn't realize that it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have burst in here."

"I wish he had." Xander snorted darkly. "I've been **dying** to meet him."

Buffy turned and looked at Xander who was lying at the other side. "Xander, you-"

"No more talking." Percy hissed, effectively silencing the gang.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him as he moved away, and rumbled, "Pushy Weasley."

Harry shook his head slightly, before closing his eyes. "Good night, guys."

... 

Couple of hours later, Harry opened his eyes when he heard light footsteps moving nearby. "Any sign of him?" He heard the headmaster asked.

"No." Another voice, who he recognized as Professor Giles answered. "I take there are no signs of him in other parts of the castle." Paused. "What should we do about the hole?" Harry quickly closed his eyes as he heard the footsteps getting closer.

"I've already found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole." Professor Dumbledore answered.

"Fat Lady?"

"She is still very distressed. Once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her. In the mean time, Sir Cadogan will be guarding the portrait hole."

"I see." Professor Giles said. "I will search around the ground floor again. Just in case."

"Thank you."

Harry slowly opened one of his eyes, and found the headmaster had his back facing him, standing there. He quickly closed his eyes again when another set of footsteps approached. "Headmaster?" The young wizard frowned as he recognized the voice as Professor Snape. "The whole third floor has been searched. He is not there. Filch has done the dungeons. Nothing's there either."

"Very well." Professor Dumbledore said. "I didn't really expect Black to linger."

Harry could practically hear the potions master giving the headmaster one of his sharp nods. "Remarkable, don't you think? To enter the Hogwarts castle completely undetected."

"It is."

"Do you have any theory as to how he managed, Professor?"

"Many, Severus. Each of them as unlikely as the next."

"You may recall, prior the start of term that I had expressed concerns about your appointment towards Professor-"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Sirius Black to enter it." The headmaster cut him off. "And once I'm convinced that the castle is safe, I'm more than willing to send the students back to their houses."

"What about Potter? Should he be warned?"

"Perhaps." Harry listened as he felt himself being pulled towards the dreamland again. "But for now, let him sleep." Paused. "In dreams, we enter a world that is entirely our own. Let him swim into the deepest ocean, or climb over the highest cloud..."

... 

_ Willow continued walking down the dark path. She couldn't remember how long she had been walking, or where she was going, but she knew the answer was on the other side of the endless road... had to be on the other side of the road. _

_"So close, yet so far away..." _

_The redhead stopped and turned around, and found her staring at herself - her own image in a full-length mirror. Mirror-Willow smiled, and Willow frowned when she noticed instead of green eyes, there were a pair of black eyes staring back at her. "What are you talking about?" _

_"You know." Mirror-Willow cocked her head. "You're me, after all." _

_"Still don't know what you're talking about." Willow turned away. "I need to go." _

_"The answer is not there. The answer is here." Willow slowly turned back towards the mirror. "Always has been." _

_"Where?" _

_Mirror-Willow smiled. She held up her figure and pointed at Willow. Willow blinked, her eyes staring at the figure tip - more specifically, the small wound on it. Blood oozed out from the small opening and dropped onto the floor. "Remember..." _

"You're late for class!"

"CLASS!" Willow head shot up, hitting something extremely hard on the forehead, before landing back, and hitting something hard (again) on the back. "Oww..."

"Ouch!"

Willow turned around when she heard a familiar voice nearby. "D-Dawn?" She blinked, one hand rubbing her forehead and another rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah. It's me." Dawn said, rubbing her forehead. "Remind me not to lean over you next time. Your head is like a rock!"

"Sorry." Willow said. Suddenly, she jumped up. "CLASS!"

"Calm down, will ya? You're not late. We still got like two hours before the first class. The headmaster said we can go back to our dorm now."

"W-what?" Willow blinked dumbly. "Oh." She looked around, and found herself standing in the middle of the Great Hall with a pile of sleeping bags around her. "Oh!" The memory of last night finally hit the redhead. "Right."

"You are such a dork, you know that?" Dawn smiled.

"You love me anyway." Willow smiled.

"Yeah yeah." Dawn waved her hand a little before taking the redhead's arm and started pulling her out of the hall. "C'mon. The sooner we leave, the sooner they clean up the place and start breakfast."

Willow followed her friend towards the exit, her mind half wondering about the dream she just had.

... 

The students from third year Gryffindor and Slytherin were now sitting in the classroom, waiting for Professor Lupin's arrival for their Defense Against the Dark Art class. "Where's Hermione?" Buffy frowned and asked when she failed to locate her friend.

"Maybe she overslept?" Xander provided.

"And pull a Xander on us? Don't think so."

"What?" Xander pouted.

Harry giggled. Suddenly, the door at the back of the classroom swing opened. Harry turned, half excepting Professor Lupin to walk through the door, only to find that it was Professor Snape who was matching into the classroom.

The potions master held up his wand and pointed at the windows, magically closing all the curtains in the room, blocking any natural light from the window. "Turn to page 394." He called, standing at the front of the room.

The students stared at each other for a moment, before opening their text books. Professor Snape slowly made his way down the aisle, his dark eyes scanning around the classroom. "Excuse me sir." Harry asked softly when the professor walk passed him. "Where's Professor Lupin?"

"It's not really your concern, is it Potter? Let's just say your professor found himself incapable of teaching at the present time." The potions master said, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "Turn to page 394."

The professor pointed his wand towards Xander who was turning the pages of his textbook lazily, and instantly, the book flipped itself to page 394. "Werewolves?" Xander blinked at the words shouting out from the book.

"But sir!" Hermione protested.

Ron jumped a bit when he suddenly found Hermione sitting in between himself and Harry. The redhead immediately turned towards Xander who was sitting on the other side. "How did she get here?"

Hermione ignored Ron's confusion and continued. "We're not supposed to do werewolves yet! We're due to start hinkypunks-"

"Quiet." Professor Snape ordered, ignoring the young witch's protest.

"How did she do it?" Ron asked again, looking at Xander and turned towards Hermione and then back to Xander. "Did you see her come in?" Xander sent Ron a similar confused look that had also painted over Buffy's face.

"Now, which one of you can tell me about the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?" Hermione's hand immediately shot into the air, so was Willow's. "Only two? How disappointing." He said, but didn't explain further.

"Please, sir." Hermione said. "Animagus is a wizard who can turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. When it is full moon it will transform and no longer remember who he is. Furthermore a werewolf would response to snouts of its own kind."

Draco let out a long wolf snout, and smirked. Everyone in the Slytherin house laughed.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape sent a glare at Draco before turning towards Hermione. "It's the second time you have spoken out of turn, Ms. Granger. Are you incapable of restricting yourself or do you take pride in being insufferable know-it-all?" Hermione's face immediately turned crimson.

"He's got a point, ya know?" Ron whispered to Xander.

"Five points from Gryffindor." Professor Snape narrowed his eyes at Ron before turning away. "You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment-" Every student in the room growled. "-and I want them by Monday morning."

"Monday morning?" Buffy's eyes widened.

"But sir!" Harry said. "There's a Quidditch match tomorrow!"

The potions master moved towards Harry and bent down, staring at him. "Then I suggest you to take extra care, Mr. Potter. Loss of limb will **not** be excused." He said in a low dangerous voice. "Page 394."

... 

"Page 394." Buffy mocked as she made her way down towards the Great Hall with her friends. "Who does he think he is?"

"Our professor?" Xander asked, and received a glance from Buffy. "How are we going to finish the essay by Monday?"

"You pick up a quill and start writing?" Buffy snorted. "I hope Professor Lupin is coming back soon. I don't know how much I could take from Snappy. I mean, it's bad enough to have him for Potions-"

"Of course you'll have him for Potions. He is the **only** Potions professor in Hogwarts." Hermione pointed out.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she continued. "-plus a DADA class?"

"I'm sure he will come back in no time." Harry said, trying to ensure the blond witch.

"I hope so."

... 

* * *


	10. Part 10

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 10**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thank you for all your wonderful reviews!**  
Note 2: **A special thanks to Joahn who's beta-reading the story! Can't do it without you:)**

* * *

... 

"I hope saint Potter will be struck by lightening."

Willow rolled her eyes at Draco. They were making their way towards the Quidditch pitch to watch the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff with Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. The sky was covered with thick layer of dark clouds and raining heavily. "Who do you think will win?" Willow asked. "Personally, I think Gryffindor's a better team. Wood scored quite a few goals last year, and Harry managed to catch the Snitch in all four matches."

"Who cares?" Parkinson snorted. "I'm freezing." She complained. "Why are we here? It's not even a Slytherin's match."

"I welcome you to leave." Willow muttered to herself. Her roommate was constantly pain in the ass, even though the redhead witch had never said anything - it was more a Dawn's job. Most of the girls in Slytherin either feared of her or disliked her due to her over-bossyness and big bully attitude. Willow herself was never her bullying target, but it didn't mean she would like the girl.

"What?" Parkinson narrowed her eyes at Willow.

"Nothing."

"Ah. Isn't that the murderer's son?" Willow and Parkinson followed Draco's line of sight, and found Xander a few foot away. The Gryffindor clearly had heard the comment from Draco, and stopped from his track, sending them dead glance.

"Hey," Parkinson smiled. "Heard your uncle escaped from Azkaban. Going to meet him?"

"Shut up, Parkinson." Xander growled.

"Oh." Draco raised an impressive eyebrow. "So brave. I'm so scccccared!" He taunted. "He's going to send his crazy uncle to kill me! Oh wait!" He smirked, putting his pointed figure on his own chin, pretended to be thinking. "May be he'll kill you first! After all, your mother's a mudblood."

"Don't tease him Draco." Parkinson smirked, matching the one on Draco's face. "He may **try** to kill us."

"Or better yet, go crazy and join his nutty father in Azkaban." Draco laughed, and the Slytherin gang walk passed the red faced Gryffindor towards the Quidditch pitch.

Willow sent an annoyed glare at Draco before turning towards Xander. Ever since the night the Fat Lady was attacked, everyone in Hogwarts started talking about the escaped prisoner and how Xander was related to them: that both his father and uncle were murderers and were sentenced to life in Azkaban - well, until his uncle escaped that was. "Xander-"

"What? You're going to join your little friends' band now? Telling me how my dad's crazy and my mum's a muggle!" Xander snapped. "Don't forget who your **father** is, Slytherin! He's ten times worst than mine. At least my dad redeemed himself and my mum's normal! I bet everyone in your family's psycho-"

Without thinking, Willow held up her right hand, and slapped it across Xander's face, hard. "Don't you ever talk about them, Harris! You know nothing about them! You know nothing about anything!" She hissed, before marching towards her friends, ignoring the boy who was standing there, dumbfounded with a reddened left cheek.

... 

Harry held onto his trusty broom as the strong wind caused it to swerve slightly. Scanning around the area through the rains, he searched for the Snitch that could bring his team to victory. Looking down, he found his friends standing in the stands cheering for Gryffindor, never mind the chilly wind or heavy rain or the rolls of thunder. Not far from them, Draco along with Willow, Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson were standing at the top of the stands watching, even though it was a Gryffindor verses Hufflepuff match. Turning away, Harry focused on the match again.

Rising higher, he looked around, feeling frustrated as the sky getting darker and darker and the rain getting heavier. He made a mental note to thank Hermione later, as the blond witch had charmed his glasses before they went for the match so it would repel water. He knew he wouldn't even able to see his own hands under this kind of weather if not for her. Suddenly, a flash of gold got the Gryffindor Seeker's attention. He blinked and narrowed his eyes, and found the Snitch flying in front of him, as if mocking his effort.

Harry flew forward as the Snitch shot up towards the sky. He could see the Hufflepuff seeker in the corner of his eye, following, but he ignored him, instead focusing on the Snitch, trailing it. Harry got higher and higher into the sky until he could no longer see the Quidditch pitch below him and the thunder was so loud that it almost destroyed his hearing.

Suddenly, a flash of black came between him and the Snitch. He blinked, and found a Dementor approaching him. Horrified, Harry turned around, only to find himself facing another Dementor. He quickly leaned down and shot towards the ground, barely avoiding another two which were flying towards him.

When he could see the pitch again, Harry turned around, and sighed in relief when he found those Dementors that were following him had disappeared. But when he turned back towards the front, half excepting to see the ground, a Dementor appeared in front of him.

The last thing he could remember was a woman voice screaming inside his head, and then everything went black.

... 

A blood curdling scream cut through the Quidditch pitch. Students watched in horror as Harry Potter fell from the sky. The headmaster of Hogwarts immediately stood from his chair, his wand pointing towards the fallen boy, mentally slowing down the speed to minimize the damage that the fall would do to the student.

But before Harry reached the ground, or even got close to the stands, a dark figure appeared from above Harry, flying towards the unconscious boy. Professor Giles and Professor McGonagall stood at the same time and held out their wands, prepared to protect Harry from the Dementor, only to be beaten by a fireball that shot out from the stands where students were occupied.

The fire ball hit the Dementor right in the chest, sending it upwards and away from Harry. Everyone watched as fire quickly burned the Dementor from inside out, leaving nothing but dust and its final scream in the air.

Both players from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff rushed towards Harry when he finally hit the ground, ignored the confused Hufflepuff's Seeker who had the golden Snitch in his hand. Professor Dumbledore turned towards Professor Snape, and without a word, the Potions Master nodded and left the teacher stands. "Everyone! Back to the castle!" Dumbledore ordered, and even the first year students could hear the anger hidden just below the calm voice of the headmaster.

... 

"He looks dead." Harry frowned a bit when he heard a voice beside him.

"He's not dead!" Another voice said. A voice that was oddly familiar to Harry.

"What do you except? He fell off from a hundred feet!" Harry placed the voice as one of the Weasley twins.

"Yeah." The other twin said. "C'mon Ron. Let's push you down from the Astronomy Tower, see what you'll look like."

"Probably looks more up side down than you normally do." Harry opened his eyes, and smiled when he saw Ron, Hermione, Xander, Buffy and the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team surrounding him.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Brilliant." Harry said, sitting up a little.

"You gave us a scare, mate." Fred/George smiled.

"What happened?"

"You fell from your broom." Xander answered.

"We thought you'd died." Buffy said tightly, before leaning forward and hugged Harry, hard. "Never do that again."

"I won't." Harry blushed a bit. "What about the match?" The others looked at each other. "We do get a re-match, right?"

"Um..." Hermione looked at the others before answering Harry. "Diggory got the Snitch. Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened until he saw you on the ground so..." Harry's face fell. "Even Wood admits they won fair and square." She added.

Harry looked around, finally noticed the absence of the Gryffindor Quidditch team leader. "Where's Wood?"

"Still in the shower." Fred, or who Harry assumed to be, answered. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

"No one blames you Harry." Hermione said when she saw the look on Harry's face. "Dementors weren't supposed to come inside to the grounds. Dumbledore was furious. As soon as he saved you he went to them straight off."

"There's ah..." Xander voiced hesitantly. "Something you should know too Harry. When you fell, your broom... sort of blew into the Whomping Willow... um... well..." He held out a bloom that was broken into several pieces - the bloom that belonged to Harry. "I'm so sorry."

If Harry looked depressed when he heard about their defeat, he looked despaired now that he saw the remains of what once to be his beloved broomstick.

... 

Willow sat on the bed she had been sleeping on for the whole summer, her back against the headboard, her eyes closed. Feeling a slight tickle, she frowned, holding up the once white handkerchief in her hand and wiped clean the blood that was dipping yet again from her nose. Looking down, the redhead frowned harder at the blood absorbed by the piece of cloth, the blood that belonged to her.

"Drink."

Willow looked up, and found Professor Snape standing there with a small bottle of potion. Without a word, she accepted the bottle, and drank it in one grip. "Thank you professor." She whispered, handing the empty bottle back to the potions master.

"Severus." Professor Dumbledore chose the exact moment to enter the room.

Professor Snape looked between the student and the headmaster. "I'll be in my chamber." He announced and left without another word.

After the potions master left, the headmaster sighed, and sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes staring at the youngster in front of him. "Willow."

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Willow bit her lips and asked quietly. "I didn't mean to... It was an accident."

The headmaster nodded. "Willow. I'm glad that it had. Harry's life might have been threatened if it didn't. But I had to ask: was there anyone who might have seen you... about the accident?"

"No. Everyone was pretty much focusing on Harry..." Willow paused. "Draco knew I had a nosebleed but that's it."

He nodded and stood. "Rest. I already informed your teachers that you will be absent tomorrow."

"But I am fine. I don't want to miss any class." Willow frowned. "Besides, the Ancient Runes class tomorrow is supposed to be fun."

The headmaster raised an eyebrow. "Very well then." He nodded after a second. "You may go to the class tomorrow, but for now, rest. You can go back to your dormitory tomorrow night."

"Yes professor. Good night professor." The redhead smiled softly before lying back onto the bed and snuggled into cover, her eyes closed. The headmaster pointed at the ceiling, magically turning off the light. He turned towards the doorway, but stopped. Turing around, the headmaster stared at the youngster as if deep in thought, before finally turned back and leaving the room.

Not only after hearing the soft click of the door closing that the redhead opened her eyes again. She turned, her face facing the ceiling, and stared at it blankly.

... 

* * *


	11. Part 11

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 11**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

Willow quickly made her way towards the Great Hall. She had over-slept this morning because she had slept in her own bedroom instead of dormitory and no one woke her up. Hoping that she could catch something to eat before class, the redhead ran down the corridor, her textbooks hugged tightly against her chest. 

The redhead jumped down the stairs towards the ground floor when she saw a familiar back at the corner of her eyes. Narrowing her eyes, she found it was Mr. Shacklebolt and Professor McGonagall; the two were standing at the front exit of the castle, chatting. The redhead's face brightened and started moving towards the adults when she heard Shacklebolt comment. 

"The Dementors are very upset." Shacklebolt said. 

"You are not suggesting that Albus should let them into the castle grounds, are you?" Professor McGonagall frowned. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around? Besides, they have already attacked Mr. Potter twice. I'm surprised that the Ministry hasn't done anything about it." 

"Cornelius trusts the Dementors." Shacklebolt shook his head. "You know how he is. And to tell you the truth, Cornelius is more upset for the fact that a Dementor died instead of the fact that they attacked Mr. Potter." 

"He didn't know it was Ms. Slytherin? I would have said it was rather obvious." 

"No. The Dementors refused tell him who was responsible. That's why the Minister asked me to come here to investigate. But yes. Cornelius is suspicious of her." The man frowned. "What surprised me though is that the Dementors didn't give Ms. Slytherin up. Do you think there may be a chance that they are scared of her?" 

The professor shook her head. "Makes one wonder what kind of horrible person she is to cause fear in such horrible creature." Paused. "Do you think she is a danger?" She asked, worried. "I have seen Mr. Potter spending time with her." 

"I honestly don't know, Minerva. I honestly don't know." 

Willow had heard enough. She turned and walked away, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.

... 

"So, Xander, is that true?" 

Buffy frowned when the Weasley twins squeezed themselves in between Harry and Ron who were sitting opposite herself and Xander in the Great Hall. The boy-who-lived had just been released from the hospital wing this morning and the gang was now having breakfast together. "What's true?" Hermione, who was sitting on the other side of Buffy, asked. 

"That Harris got himself beaten up by Slytherin." 

The piece of chicken Ron had put into his mouth shot out like a cannon and landed right in the middle of Neville Longbottom's plate who was sitting beside Xander. "What!" 

Neville was about to take a bite on his potato when the bite from Ron landed. He halted, the fork stopped just right in front of his opened mouth as his eyes stared at his plate. Disgust written all over his face, he slowly put down his fork and push the plate away. 

"Nice aiming, Ron." Buffy commented dryly. 

The twins didn't take notice of Neville or Ron, instead continued staring at Xander with interest. "So, is that true?" 

"Of course not!" The dark haired boy claimed just a bit too loud and too quickly. "Who told you that?" 

"It's the second thing we heard when we got back to the Common Room." The twin on the right said. 

"The first thing was Harry falling from his broom." The other twin added. 

"But Willow wouldn't hurt anyone." Hermione frowned. "Besides, Xander's almost double her. How could she beat him up?" 

"That's what I said." George/Fred said. 

"But then Dean swore seeing Slytherin slapping Xander right across his face." The other twin added. Xander's hand instantly shot up, covering his left cheek. 

"And Colin kept talking about how he should have taken a photo out of it." 

"I heard some Hufflepuffs were talking about it in the corridor earlier." Neville added. "But I thought I heard it wrong." 

"Yeah? Well, they're wrong." Xander said angrily. "I wasn't being beaten up." 

"But she did slap you, didn't she?" George/Fred asked excitedly. The look on Xander's face was enough to confirm the rumor. "It's true! Xander got beaten up by a girl!" 

"Shut up!" Xander shouted at the twin. 

"Why did she?" Harry asked, confused. 

"Did she really need a reason?" Ron snorted. "She's a Slytherin." 

"Willow may be a Slytherin, but she's not someone who will just go around and slap people." Hermione defended and turned towards Xander. "What did you do?" 

"I did nothing!" 

"Why are you always siding with her?" Ron asked annoyed. 

"I'm not siding with her, I'm just telling the truth." Hermione frowned. 

"I'm with Hermione." Buffy said. "Willow's not like that." 

"You're just saying that because Slytherin lets you copy her homework." 

"Right. And you never copy them." Buffy rolled her eyes at Ron. 

"She lends you her homework?" Hermione frowned harder. 

Buffy couldn't help but roll her eyes when she saw the look on Hermione's face. "Not the point here." 

Harry smiled at his friends before turning towards the Slytherin table. "Willow's not here." 

"Probably got sent to the headmaster." George/Fred said. 

"Like it matters." Ron snorted again. "I bet Snape would get Dumbledore off her back." 

"So, details." George/Fred asked excitingly. 

Xander looked around, and found all his friends were now staring at him. He growled in annoyance.

... 

Weeks passed since the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but everyone was still talking about how Harry fell from the broom and caused Gryffindor the match or how Xander had been beat up by Willow. Harry frowned a bit when he marched towards the Great Hall with Ron for breakfast. Ever since the game, Harry had not gotten a chance to talk to the redhead, only receiving a bunch of flowers and a get-well card from her when he was still in the hospital wing. 

"Where's Xander?" Hermione looked up from the table with Buffy when Harry and Ron took a seat opposite them. 

"Sleeping in." Harry replied. "You know how he is." 

"Good." Buffy raised an eyebrow at Hermione's comment. The blond witch reached inside her robe and took out an old clipping, putting it onto the table. 

"What's this?" 

"I've been doing some research..." 

"Research? Our first term just ended and you're already starting research?" The redhead boy frowned. "And why am I not surprised by it?" 

"Shut up Ron." Buffy growled at the redhead before turning towards Hermione. 

"As I said, I've been doing some research," Hermione continued. "Trying to figure out how Sirius Black could come into the castle without alerting anyone." 

"That's easy." Buffy frowned. "He must know how to Apparate." 

"Apparate?" Harry asked. 

"Like um, you disappear in one place and then appear in another out of thin air." 

"Or he could just disguise himself." Ron said. 

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read 'Hogwarts, a History'?" Hermione asked, immediately earned a 'duh-you-have-to-ask' looks from her friends. She sighed instantly. "The castle is protected by all sorts of enchantments to stop people from entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. Besides, the Dementors are guarding every entrance, remember? I doubt there are any disguises that can fool them." 

"So, what you're saying is that there's no way he could sneak in?" 

"What I'm saying is that there may be someone in the castle who helped him." Hermione said. "Look," She pointed at the clipping - an article about the pureblood families in England's wizarding world. "Here. The Black family." 

"Where did you get this?" Ron frowned. 

"I borrowed it from Willow." Hermione saw the skeptic look on Ron's face. "Her mother is a Rosenberg. One of the pureblood families." She explained. "Stop jumping on her whenever things happened. She did save Harry's life." 

"I didn't say anything." Ron protested weakly. 

"Wait. You talked to Willow?" 

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Got a problem?" 

"No." Harry quickly shook his head. "Just wondering. I haven't talk to her for quite a while. That's all." 

Hermione shook her head, and pointed at one of the photos where two dark haired boys were smirking at the camera. "Sirius Black and Regulus Black." 

"Regulus Black is Xander's father." Buffy said quietly. 

"Right. But that's not what I wanted to show you. Sirius and Regulus Black have three cousins: Bellatrix Black, Andromeda Black and Narcissa Black." 

"So?" 

"Narcissa Black changed her name after she got married." Hermione said. "Narcissa Malfoy." 

"WHAT!" 

"So... Xander is Draco's cousin?" Ron blinked. "Bloody hell!" 

"Once removed. And don't swear." Hermione frowned at Ron before continued. "It's possible that Black snuck into the castle by himself. But if he really got someone to help him into the castle, then Malfoy may be one of them." 

"Maybe." Harry thought for a moment. "But I overheard Snape talking to Dumbledore the other night. He suspected it was someone among the professors that helped Sirius Black into the castle." 

"Professor?" Hermione sketched her head a little. "I didn't find anyone except Malfoy that had any connection with Black in Hogwarts. Do you know who they were talking about?" Harry shook his head. "Well, at least we knew if Sirius Black really got help here, Malfoy could be one of them." Hermione sighed.

... 

After breakfast, Hermione, as usual, went for the library. Ron had gone back to the dormitory to take a nap, and Buffy had decided to go looking for Professor Giles and see if he heard anything. After his friends' departure, Harry went to visit Professor Lupin, who had been missing Defense Against the Dark Art for quite sometime. 

Harry was a bit shocked when he saw how tired the professor was. Dark circles surrounding the professor's eyes, his skin paler than usual, as were his lips. The two had decided to go for a walk near the lake, enjoying the warm sun in the late October. Harry watched as he slowly made his way towards the lake with the professor, before gathering his courage and asking the question that he been bugging him since the accident at the Quidditch match. "Why does the Dementor affect me so... I mean, more than anyone else?" He asked the professor. 

Professor Lupin didn't seem to be surprised by the question. Instead, he smiled. "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They feed on every good feeling, every happy memory, until the person is left with absolutely nothing but his worst experiences." The professor explained. "You are **not** weak, Harry. The Dementors affected you most of all because there are true horrors in your past, horrors that your classmates can hardly imagine. You have nothing to be ashamed of." 

"I'm scared, professor." Harry whispered. 

"Well, I'd consider you a fool if you weren't." 

"I need to know how to fight them. You could teach me. You made the Dementor on the train go away." Harry asked hopefully. 

"There was only one, Harry." 

"But you made it go away." 

Professor Lupin thought for a moment. "I don't pretend to be an expert, Harry. But since the Dementors seemed to have developed a particular interest in you, perhaps I should teach you." The professor turned towards the beautiful view in front of him. "But after the holidays. For now, I need to rest." 

Harry nodded, and quietly enjoying the warm sun with the professor.

... 

* * *


	12. Part 12

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 12**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story:) **

* * *

... 

Harry was walking across the courtyard when suddenly a flash of gold appeared at the corner of his eyes. He turned, surprised to see a Snitch hovering in the air, and then even more surprised when he saw Willow racing down on a broom and caught the Snitch. "Willow!" He called before the redhead Slytherin could fly away. 

"Harry!" Willow turned and smiled, and reached back down onto the ground. 

He looked up and down at Willow's Quiddtich outfit. "Training?" He nodded at the Snitch in the redhead's hand. "Don't know you're trying for Seeker." 

"Oh no." Willow shook her head. "I'm just playing around." She paused. "So... um... how are you?" 

"Brilliant." Harry flashed Willow a grin. "Buffy and the others decided to stay for Christmas. We're going to decorate the common room together. How about you? We haven't been talking for a while." 

Willow nodded. "I wasn't sure if you are still willing to talk to me actually." She admitted. 

"Why?" 

"You must have heard about it, right? I mean, the whole school knew about me and Xander..." The redhead paused again. "I mean, you two are friends so..." 

"From what I heard, he was the one who started it." 

"I'm still really sorry though. I don't know what came over me..." Willow looked down ashamed. 

"Willow, it's okay." Harry smiled at his friend. He took a step closer to Willow, covered the redhead's hand with his own. "Trust me." 

Willow quickly returned the smile. "I do." 

The two of them stared at each other for several seconds before they noticed how closed they were and blushed immediately. "Ah..." Harry cleared his throat. "Hey! You're going to stay with Dumbledore this Christmas, right? We can practice Quidditch together! And it will give Xander and Ron a chance to know you better!" 

"Actually... no." Harry's face dropped immediately. "I'm going to my mum's place." 

"Oh." Paused. "Wait. Your mum's place?" 

"Yeah. My mum... well, my mum's family actually. They got this huge mansion near Ben Nevis. I figured I should go have a look." 

"So you're staying with them? Is Dumbledore going with you?" 

Willow shook her head. "I am the last of the Rosenberg's blood. The house has been emptied since my mum had left Scotland. I heard there's a bunch of house-elves working there though." Willow shrugged. "And Dumbledore won't be going. Mr. Shacklebolt will take me there and come get me when the holiday ends." 

"But that means you'll be alone on Christmas!" 

"Won't be the first time." Willow shrugged. "Jewish, or well, pretend Jewish?" She frowned. "Do they have Jewish witch? Like 'Jewitch'?" 

"'Jewitch'?" Harry mouthed. 

"Yeah, like only use Hebrew spells and stuff? Do we have spells in Hebrew?" 

Harry stared back at Willow with an equally confused expression on his face.

... 

Harry watched quietly from the second floor as other third year students made their way across the Hogwarts' ground towards the gate. It was the second visit of the Hogwarts' students to Hogsmeade, and as before, Harry was forced to stay inside the castle. Taking a deep breath, he put on his resolve, and ran towards his dormitory. 

Quickly hiding himself under the invisible cloak, Harry quickly made his way towards the gate, hoping that he could catch up with other students in time. Suddenly, Fred and George showed up, and to Harry's surprise, the twin arms suddenly shot out, successfully grabbing him into his arms and dragged him back into the castle. 

"Guys, let me go!" Harry cried out. 

"It's clever, Harry." One of the twins said. 

"But not clever enough." And the other continued. 

"Besides, we've got a better way." 

"Guys! Don't!" Harry struggled. "I'm trying to get to Hogsmeade." 

"We know." The twins said at the same time. 

"Don't worry." 

"We'll get you there."

... 

"Let me go! C'mon guys! Let me go!" Harry continued to struggle as the twin dragged him towards a dark corner. 

"Now Harry, come and join the big boys." One of the twins said, and the two redheads finally let Harry go. 

Harry threw his invisible cloak back onto the floor and stared at the twins angrily. "What are you doing!" 

"Shh!" The twin on the right said, before the one of the left handed Harry a folded worn piece of blank parchment. 

Harry looked down and frowned. "What's this rubbish!" 

"What's this rubbish, he said." One of the twins snorted. "That rubbish is the secret to our success!" 

"It's a wrench, giving it to you." The other one said. "But we've decided your need is greater than ours." He turned towards the other twin. "George, if you will." He smirked. 

George, the twin on the right, drew out his wand and pointed it onto the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." 

Harry's eyes widened as he watched ink appeared from no where and spread out from the middle of the parchment, forming words right across the front page. "'Misters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs: Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP'?" He blinked. 

"We own them so much." George smirked. 

Harry opened the parchment. "Hang on... this is Hogwarts! A map!" He frowned when he found himself staring at a map - a map with moving dots and names on it. "No..." His eyes got even wider when he saw the dot with Hogwarts' headmaster's name on it walking down the corridor at the other side of the castle. "Is that really-" 

"Dumbledore." 

"So you mean this map shows-" 

"Everyone." Fred nodded. 

"Everyone?" Harry asked excitingly. 

"Everyone." Fred said. 

"Where they are." George continued. 

"What they're doing." Fred followed up. 

"Every minute." 

"Of every day." 

"Brilliant!" Harry looked at the twins. "Where did you get it?" 

"Nicked it from Filch's office, of course. First year." Fred said proudly. 

"Now, listen:" George explained. "There're seven secret passageways out of the castle. We recommend this one." The twin pointed at a secret passage on the map. 

"It will lead you straight right into the cellar of Honeydukes." Fred explained. 

"Oh, and remember." George drew out his wand. "When you're done, just give it a tap and say 'mischief managed'." He tapped onto the parchment. And immediately, the ink disappeared, leaving no trace on it. "Otherwise anyone could read it."

... 

Harry carefully pushed away the huge brick on top of him and peeked over the edge. Finding no one in the room, he climbed out from the hidden passageway and put the brick back, hiding the entrance. Looking around, he found himself standing in a cellar that was full of wooden crates and boxes. Quickly covering himself with the invisible cloak, he climbed up the wooden stairs nearby. 

Reaching to the upper floor, he found himself standing inside a busy store, thousand kinds of candies filling the racks around the store. Smiling, he quickly walked towards the exit, grabbing the lollipop Neville was holding on the way and left - leaving his friend watching in shock as his lollipop floated itself out of the opened door of Honeydukes.

... 

"This is meant to be one of the most haunted houses in Britain, did I mention that?" Hermione said excitingly as she stood in front of the gate of an old mansion. 

"Twice." Ron whispered, his face pale, and it wasn't because of the cold. 

"Nearly Headless Nick said there's a rough crowd living there." Buffy smirked. "Hey! Wanna get closer?" 

"Ah?" Xander turned and blinked at Buffy. "Are you crazy? It's **the** Shrieking Shack!" 

"What?" Buffy pouted. "I mean, aren't you at least a tiny weeny bit curious about it?" She turned to Ron for support. "Ron?" 

"Actually, um... I'm fine here." Ron whispered. 

"Well, looks who's here." The gang spun around and found Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walked towards them. "Doing shopping for your new dream home? Doesn't your family sleep in... one room?" Draco smirked at the young Weasley. 

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy." Ron growled at him. 

"Woo. Not very friendly. Boys, I think it's time we teach Weasel how to respect his superior." 

Hermione laughed. "Hope you don't mean yourself." 

Draco's face darkened. "How dare you talk to me! You filthy little mudblood!" 

"In case you don't notice, **Malfoy**, we've got four people while you've got only three." Buffy warned. 

"Oh I'm so scared." Draco mocked. "What are you gonna do, **Summers**?" 

Buffy took a step forward and reached into her robe for her wand, when suddenly a snowball came from no where and hit Draco right in his head. Draco immediately looked around, confused that he could no one around them. Another snowball shown up and hit Draco again. "Who's there?" The Slytherin price called out. 

Several snowballs came up from no where and hit Draco again. The Slytherin trio stumbled back and looked around nervously, obviously frightened. Draco turned towards Crabbe. "Don't just stand here! Do something!" 

"Do what?" Crabbe cried and looked around. 

Suddenly, Goyle's skull cap was being pulled down by some invisible force, effectively covering his eyes. Almost at the same time the trousers of Crabbe was loosened and dropped, showing off his flowery pants to the Gryffindors. Hermione and Buffy laughed, watching as Crabbe was seemly being kicked in the butt and stumbled forward, hitting the snowy ground face first. 

Draco looked at his friends, his face paled as he watched as Goyle's scarf was being pulled by some unknown force and got thrown onto the ground. The blond boy turned and tried to run, only to fall onto the ground. He tired to push himself up when something grabbed his legs and started dragging him towards the Shrieking Shack. Draco did the only thing he could do - he screamed. 

"What's up Malfoy! Scared?" Buffy laughed. 

Draco jumped up when his legs were finally free. He quickly pushed away Crabbe and Goyle who were equally scared and ran away, with the other two Slytherin students following right behind him. 

Ron and Xander looked at each other, not as amused as Buffy and Hermione at the whole situation. Xander's eyes widened in fear when he felt someone pulling the two fake braids of his winter cap, his legs started shaking nervously. Hermione smiled at the looks on both Ron and Xander's faces. "Har-ry." Hermione called out, rolling her eyes. 

Harry pulled away his invisibility cloak at grinned at his friends. Ron sighed in relief before glancing at his friend. "Bloody hell Harry! That was **not** funny!" 

Hermione, Buffy and Harry continued laughing, leaving Ron's continued sighing in relief and Xander's wounded puppy face.

... 

"That Weasel! Never told me anything about the Marauder's Map." Ron complained as the gang made their way back to the main street of Hogsmeade. 

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron. "Harry is not going to keep it. He is going to turn it in to Professor Dumbledore..." She paused, looking at Harry. "Aren't you?" Harry looked down guilty. 

It was Buffy's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh sure. Along with his invisibility cloak. Seriously, 'Mione. You gotta stop being so innocent." 

"Or boring." Xander said, and immediately earned a smash from Buffy. 

Hermione shook her head, half wondering why she even border. 

"C'mon. I'm freezing. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks." Buffy suggested, and the others followed her into the inn. Harry couldn't help but giggled when he heard Buffy's rumble. "Stupid snow's freezing my butt."

... 

* * *


	13. Part 13

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 13**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: ** Thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story!**   
Note 2: **Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. As for pairings, except from Willow/Harry there aren't really a set pairings of sort. Buffy is paired with Xander (eventually) in the original version and the same goes for Ron and Hermione (though as edition goes it becomes more and more unlikely the two would end up together...um...), but things might change as the edition goes and I'm open for any suggestion. ;p**

* * *

... 

The gang sat at the table at the corner of the crowded Three Broomstick next to a Christmas tree, enjoying the famous butterbeer of the inn. "Oh, look who it is." Hermione smirked when Ron staring at the woman standing by the bar. "Madam Rosmerta." She turned towards Buffy. "Ron fancies her." 

"That's not true!" Ron blushed. 

Buffy giggled. "Looks like Ron's not the only one." She said, pointing at Xander who was also staring at her. 

"Hey!" Xander spun around when he heard the comment. "I'll have you know that I'm more into golden blond than dirty blond, thank you very much." 

"You're picky." Buffy commented. She turned towards Harry, and found that he was staring in the bar owner's direction. "Don't tell me you have a crush on her too." The blond witch blinked when suddenly Harry slid out of his chair and went under the table. "Hey!" 

"No. Look." Hermione silenced Buffy and pointed. Buffy followed her line of sight, and found Professor McGonagall entering the inn along with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and heading towards the bar. 

"Crap." Buffy cursed when she saw the trio exchange a few words before heading towards the gang. 

"Don't swear." Hermione warned as she quickly pulled out her wand and pointed at the Christmas tree. "Mobiliarbus." She whispered. The Christmas tree rose a few inches off the ground, before slowly floated towards the gang and landed right in front of their table, effectively hiding them from others' view. 

"What?" Buffy pouted slightly. "I didn't say 'damn' or 'bloody hell', did I?" 

"Shh!" Hermione frowned as she watched the adult through the branches.

... 

The owner of the Three Broomsticks was busy ordering her workers at the bar when she heard a familiar voice calling behind her. "Madam Rosmerta." 

"Oh Minister!" Madam Rosmerta turned and smiled when she saw Minister Cornelius Fudge accompanied by Professor Minerva McGonagall standing behind her. "Butterbeer?" 

"Sure." "Thank you." The professor and the minister answered. 

"I hope your business is good?" The minister asked. 

Madam Rosmerta narrowed her eyes and stepped closer towards the minister. "It would be a lot better if the Ministry didn't sent the Dementors into my pub every other night." She said angrily, poking at the minister. 

"We have a killer on the lose." Fudge reasoned. 

"Sirius Black in Hogsmeade? Ah!" Madam Rosmerta rolled her eyes and snorted. "What would bring him here? Butterbeer?" She picked up the two cups of butterbeer her worker handed her and gave them to the professor and minister. 

"Come." Professor McGonagall pulled the confused woman towards the far end of the inn and sat at the empty table in front of a Christmas tree, taking a slip of the butterbeer the other witch had offered her. 

"Now, what is it about?" Madam Rosmerta asked after the other two settled down. "Does it have something to do with that rumor?" She lowered her voice. "About You-know-who's daughter being in Hogwarts?" 

"No. Not really." The minister shook his head. "Trust me. If it is about her I'm more than willing to send her to Azkaban." 

"Minister! It's a horrible thing to say! She is just a child!" 

"Yeah, well..." The Minister took a slip of his butterbeer. "I'm not saying I would really do that. But I'm telling you, that girl's more than meets the eye. She had been here for less than two years and already gaining support from half of the old wizarding families. Not to mention her mother had never confirmed it to anyone. That cunning woman did a really good job hiding the girl's identity." He shook his head. "No. It is not about her." 

"Then what is it about? I don't think Black would go after his nephew." 

"Harry Potter." The professor whispered. 

"Harry Potter?" 

"Shh!" Professor McGonagall looked around, making sure that no one was listening in. "Years ago, when Harry Potter's parents realized they were out for death they went hiding. A few knew where they were. One of them was Sirius Black, and he told you-know-who!" 

"Not only that Black led you-know-who to the Potter family but he killed one of their friends: Peter Pettigrew." The minister added. 

"Peter Pettigrew?" 

"The boy with the scarf? Always trailing after Sirius Black?" 

Madam Rosmerta thought for a moment. "Oh. I remember him. Never let James or Sirius out of his sight." She looked between the other two. "But what happened to him?" 

"Peter Pettigrew was trying to warn the Potter's and might have managed to have he not run into his old friend Sirius Black." 

"Black was vicious." Fudge said. "He didn't kill Peter Pettigrew. He **destroyed** him." He held up his pinkie. "A finger. That's all he's left. A finger. Nothing else." 

The Hogwarts professor shook her head. "Sirius Black might not be the one who put his hands on the Potter's but he was the reason they are dead." 

"And now he wants to finish what he had started." The Minister continued. 

"I can't believe it!" Madam Rosmerta's eyes widened. 

"Oh, that's not the worst of it." 

Madam Rosmerta frowned. "What could be worst?" 

"This: Sirius Black was, and remains to this day, Harry Potter's Godfather."

... 

Buffy and the gang quickly followed the trail of footsteps towards the forest near the Shrieking Shack. Harry had run out of the inn shortly after hearing the conversation, and the others quickly followed him. It was somehow difficult since Harry had put on his invisibility cloak and the only thing they could follow was the footsteps on the snow covered ground. At last, they found the dark hair boy, who was still invisible, sitting on a huge stone nearby. 

Hermione made her way towards the soft sobbing noise. Ron tried to stop her, but Buffy pulled Ron away and nodded at Hermione. The Gryffindor bookworm reached the invisible boy and kneed down, her hand reached out in the air, and slowly un-covered Harry from the cloak. "Harry." 

Harry looked up at Hermione. "He was their friend, and he betrayed them... He was their **friend**!" The word echoed in the forest as snow started falling down from the sky, leaving the other four looking sadly at the dark haired boy. "I hope he finds me." He continued, fury clearly visible on his pale face. "Because when he does, I'm going to be ready. When he does, I'm going to kill him."

... 

Instead of joining other students who were leaving for Christmas on the Hogwarts Express, Willow had once again been denied the tradition, and was to travel with Mr. Shacklebolt using the portkey that was set up by the Ministry. Professor Dumbledore had asked for the floo network at first, but turned out same as Hogwarts, the whole Rosenberg ground was being protected by different wards that prevented anyone who was not a Rosenberg to enter the premises. That was why Willow and Mr. Shacklebolt were now standing just outside the gate entrance instead of inside the mansion. 

"Wow." Willow blinked. She had heard about how rich her mother's family was, how big the mansion was, but she had never expected **that**. A tall black and seemly endless stone wall surrounded the whole small round hill, with a large white building on top of it. "Wow. My mom's loaded!" Then she frowned. "Did I just say that?" 

Mr. Shacklebolt turned, his eyebrow raised at the youngster. Even Bennu, Willow's phoenix that was standing on her shoulder was now staring at her, blinking. Willow looked at the phoenix and the Auror. "Right. Sorry." 

Mr. Shacklebolt shook his head a bit. "Now. The Ministry had already set up some wards around the area. After you enter the house, the wand will be activated. Anyone who enters or leaves the ground will trigger the alarm. So if you want to leave the ground at anytime, you'll have to contact me or Dumbledore first. Do you understand?" 

"Right." Willow nodded. "I'm the prisoner. Check." She muttered under her breath. 

"Sorry?" 

"Nothing." Willow shook her head. "I better get going." She said as she moved towards the closed gate. But before her hand could touch the cold surface of the black gate, it slowly opened itself, revealing a golden coach that looked like something straight out from Disney cartoon Cinderella. "Um..." 

"Miss Willow." Willow blinked from the coach towards an old house-elf who was standing next to the coach, bowing at her. "My name is Zuerst, at your services." 

"Ah..." Willow turned and looked at Mr. Shacklebolt then back to the house-elf again. "Thank you?" 

"Does Miss Willow wish to come in now?" 

"Oh. Right." Willow turned towards the case she had bought with her, only to be beaten by the house-elf. Without a word, Zuerst took the case. "It's fine. I can get it." 

"This is not appropriate for Miss Willow to carry anything herself, Miss." Zuerst said. 

"Oh. Okay." Willow turned back towards the Auror behind her. "So... um, bye?" 

"Goodbye Miss Slytherin." Mr. Shacklebolt nodded. "I'll see you after the holiday." 

Willow nodded, before walking through the gate and stepped into the coach through the door the house-elf had opened for her. Zuerst closed the door, his eyes narrowed at Shacklebolt for a second before disappearing into the thin air with Willow's case. The Auror stood there quietly, his eyes staring at the leaving coach while the gate slowly closed itself. Not until the gate closed firmly in front of him did he turn around and leave.

... 

* * *


	14. Part 14

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 14**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story!**   
Note 2: **Thanks for all the reviews (thanks Teresa!). I'm sorry it took a bit longer for this chapter. Joahn had sent me the 'beta-ed' version a week ago but I only got time to post it now. SORRY!**   
Note 3: **Welcome back IsiwaruOfCkaloatia! I was so worried that the story had bored u to death (cos frankly, sometimes even I found myself boring, not to mention my stories...). I can tell u now that the story is getting more and more AU, as for that little evil rodent... let's just say I've a little something in store for him... hehe...**

* * *

... 

Harry sat at the huge desk in the Gryffindor common room, a paper lying right in front of him. He held up his quill, prepared to write something, but stopped before the tip reached the paper. Sighing, he put down his quill, his elbows pressing against the desk and his head on his palms, looking out at the window. 

"Harry!" The dark haired boy jumped at the voice and quickly picked up couple of books and put them on top of the paper, covering the two words he had written since this morning. "We've been looking all over for-" Buffy smiled dropped a bit when she saw the balls of papers all over the place. "Wow. Paper-fight?" The blond asked. "I think snow-fight is more fun." 

Harry blushed and quickly changed the subject. "What's up?" 

Buffy raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Ron and Xander and I are heading for Hagrid's. Coming?" 

"S-sure." Harry stood, trying to act as casual as he could while picking up the pile of books on the table. "Let me just clean these up first." 

"Nah." Buffy said, pulling Harry's arm. "Leave it. We can come back and grab them later." She then let go of Harry and narrowed her eyes. "Unless there's something you don't want people to see..." 

"No! Nothing!" Harry answered just a little bit too quickly. "I mean, ah..." 

"Well, if there's nothing to see..." Buffy smirked, quickly bent down and picked up a paper ball from the floor. Harry's eyes widened and quickly rushed forward, grabbing it before Buffy could read the paper. "Ah-uh! I knew it! You're hiding something from me!" 

"Nothing! Really!" Harry blushed. 

"Then..." Buffy grabbed another ball of paper before Harry could react and rushed towards the exit. "You won't mind me showing this to Ron and Xand, will you?" 

"No! No Buffy!" Harry shouted. "Don't!" 

Buffy stopped at the door and spun around, grinning. "Then tell me!" 

"I... ah..." 

"I'm waiting..." Buffy crossed her arms, tapping her foot. 

"I was writing a letter..." 

"Yeah...?" 

"To Willow." The dark haired boy sighed. "I didn't catch her on the train back to London." 

Buffy frowned in confusion. "But she is coming back soon enough..." She paused, the frown slowly disappeared and replaced by a smirk. "You have a crush! On Willow! Harry Potter has a crush on Will-" 

"SHHH!" Harry looked around in horror. "Someone may hear!" 

"Oh c'mon. It's no big deal!" Buffy paused. "Okay, so she's a Slytherin. This may cause some problems but..." The young witch then smiled and hit Harry in his chest with her elbow playfully. "So, have you two...?" She made some kissing sounds, and Harry's eyes immediately widened. 

"Of course not! I mean, we did hold hands..." Harry blushed deeper. 

"Wow! Go Harry!" 

"But I think it's more like a comfort thing. I reckon she didn't even remember..." 

"Well, did you ask her?" Harry shook his head. "Had she said anything that might hint something..." The black haired boy shook his head again. "Um," Buffy thought for a moment. "It's kinda hard to know unless you ask her..." 

"But what if she doesn't feel the same way?" Harry asked. 

"I get that. It'll pretty awkward..." Buffy frowned harder. "What are you going to do?" 

Harry sighed. "I don't know." 

"May be I can-" 

"Don't!" Harry shouted. "Don't do anything, please..." He pleaded. 

Buffy stared at her friend for a second. "Okay. But at least talk to Hermione? Between us she spent the most time with Willow. May be she can go and see if Willow's interested." 

Harry sighed again. "We'll see."

... 

Willow set down the empty glass on the table before continued reading the books she had found in the room that Zuerst had settled her in - the room that once belonged to her mother. "Thanks." She said as Zuerst appeared with a new jug of soda and poured some into her glass. "Zuerst?" She put down her book and looked up at the house-elf. 

"Yes, Miss Willow?" 

"Why is your name 'first'?" Willow frowned. "'Zuerst' means 'first' in German, right? Not that it can't be a good name but..." 

Zuerst nodded. "My lines have been serving the Rosenberg family for generations. Each of us is called depending on state we hold in the household." 

"So you're called Zuerst because you are the head of the house-elves?" 

"Yes Miss Willow." 

"But what about your name? Your real name? You can't be born to be the Zuerst, right? Like the old Zuerst retired and you got his position?" 

"This is my real name now, Miss Willow. We forgo our old names once our positions in the household changed." Zuerst said. "But yes. There's an old Zuerst. He died 40 years ago." 

"Oh. Okay." Willow sketched her head a little. "So, um, you worked for my mother?" 

"Yes Miss Willow. Since my birth." 

"What... what was she like? I mean, when she was younger?" 

"House-elf should not judge one he serves, Miss Willow." He said seriously. 

"Oh." Willow's face dropped a bit. "Sorry." 

"Miss Willow does not have to give apology to her servant." 

"Still..." Willow took a deep breath. "And thank you. For everything." She smiled at the house-elf. "Taking care of the house, taking care of me..." Paused. "Taking care of my family. Thank you." 

"This is what I born for, Miss Willow." Zuerst said. "If there's nothing else." 

"Yeah." Willow nodded. "Thank you. Again." 

The house-elf nodded and made his way out of the room. But before he left, he stopped and turned towards Willow. "Miss Willow?" 

"Um?" Willow looked up from her book once again. 

"To pick a rose you cannot avoid the thorns." He said. "That's why roses are red. It is all about the blood." He bowed and left the room, leaving Willow there, confused.

... 

Christmas finally arrived, and Harry joined Buffy, Hermione, Ron and Xander in the Great Hall for the noon feast. He smiled when he saw Xander driving into the food once he reached the table. 

"You eat like a pig, Xand." Buffy commented, making a face at her friend. 

"Oh why thank you, milady." Xander smiled, shoving a muffin into his mouth. "Comparing me to such intelligent animal." 

"Intelligent?" Harry blinked. 

"Think about it: all pigs do is sit there, opening their mouths and wait for someone to shove food into them. They don't even have to get up and find food, you know, just eat and sleep." 

"That's lazy, not smart." Hermione frowned. 

"For you, may be." Ron rumbled, and immediately earned a smack from Buffy. 

"Let's compare them to cows. Cows have to **stand** all day just to be milked. They live in the ranch where there's no cover, not to mention being ridden on by cowboys. Then, at the end? They get eaten like pigs." Xander shook his head. "Tragedy." 

"How can you say that?" Hermione cried. 

"I bet they made their legs shorter so that wouldn't have to do anything!" 

"Pigs made their legs shorter on purpose?" Hermione blinked. "Are you crazy or something?" 

Buffy thought for a moment, before turning towards Hermione. "Hate to say this but... Xander got a point there." 

"See! Buffy support me!" Xander grinned. 

"On the side note: I also support the argument that you're crazy." 

Xander pouted, and the others laughed. Suddenly, Xander's eyes widened. "Wow! Deja vu! Third year in a row!" Everyone looked up, and found a school owl flying into the Great Hall with a huge parcel in claws. The gang watched as it flew above them and let lose the parcel into Harry's hands. 

"Open it! Open it!" Ron stood and started jumping up and down, feeling excited. 

Harry smiled at his friend's childish reaction and ripped away the wrapping paper. "I don't believe it!" His eyes widened when he saw his dream broom in front of him. 

"Firebolt!" Xander shouted. "Who sent it to you?" 

Buffy looked around, trying to see if there was a card or something, but couldn't find any. "There's no card." She frowned. 

"Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?" Ron asked, drooling over the broom. 

"Who cares?" Xander rolled his eyes. "C'mon. Let's try it-" 

"No." Hermione said suddenly. Ron and Xander immediately glared at her. "I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet." 

"Why?" Buffy asked. 

"Who'd send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they'd sent it?" Hermione reasoned. "It probably costs more that all the Slytherins' brooms put together. You would think someone would at least leave a card or something." 

"You're crazy." Ron shook his head at Hermione before turning towards Harry. "Let's go check it out after the feast." 

"But-" 

"I think you are overreacting a bit, 'Mione." Harry smiled at Hermione. "Once you've seen me ride the broom you'll know there's nothing you need to worry about." 

Hermione frowned. "I'll be right back." She then stood up and quickly ran away. 

"She's crazy." Ron shook his head, before turning back towards Harry. "Don't listen to her, Harry." 

"Let's finish out food so we can go and have a test." Xander said, and the three boys immediately drove into their meals, earning a frown from Buffy. 

After several minutes, Hermione came back with Professor McGonagall. "Harry." 

"Professor." 

"I have heard you've received a new broom." Ron and Xander immediately looked at each other, before turning towards Hermione, glaring at her. 

"Y-yes professor." Harry swallowed. "Why professor?" 

"It will need to be checked for jinxes." Professor McGonagall said. "Of course, I'm no expert, but I dare say Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick can strip it down-" 

"Strip it down!" Ron repeated, staring at the professor as if she was mad. 

"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks." Professor McGonagall smiled apology at Harry when she saw the horror on his face. "You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free." 

"But there's nothing wrong with it!" Harry protested, his voice shaking slightly. "Honestly Professor-" 

"You can't know that, Potter, not until you've flown it, at any rate, and I'm afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with." The professor picked up the new broom. "I shall keep you informed." 

The gang watched quietly as the professor left the Great Hall, carrying the Firebolt with her. After she left, Ron turned towards Hermione angrily. "What did you go running to McGonagall for!" 

"You should have left it alone, 'Mione." Xander shook his head at his friend. He turned towards Harry, and found him standing there, glaring at Hermione. 

Hermione looked towards Buffy, and found the same disappointment on Buffy's face. "I'm just trying to... I thought..." She said defensively. "And Professor McGonagall agrees with me... that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"

... 

* * *


	15. Part 15

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 15**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thx Joahn for beta-reading the story and of course all your wonderful reviews!**  
Note 2: **An ugly drawing of Rose (a new character you can find in this update) by me (be afraid... be very afraid...) during a boring lecture could be found in my homepage (PS: Just go to my profile, there's a link to my homepage)**

* * *

... 

Stretching a little, Willow stood and put the book she had been reading back on the shelf before leaving the library. She had not noticed the time until she heard a growl from her stomach. "Can't believe I've been here all day." She whispered to herself as she made her way down the quiet corridor towards her room.

Walking slowly, the redhead stopped at a huge black door which was supposed to be her great-grandfather's office. She had stayed in the mansion for couple of days and so far she had only visited the family library (where she had spent most of her time), the dining hall and of course, the bedroom she now occupied. Curiously, the redhead pushed the door open, and peeked inside.

The office was huge but lacked any windows. Same as other rooms the house, the lights lit up automatically when the redhead stepped in. A huge wooden desk was placed at one end, surrounded by bookshelves. On the other end was a red leather couch that was facing a matching wooden coffee table in between the couch and the fireplace. Right behind the desk was a huge portrait of a redhead man around mid-fifties holding a red rose in one hand and a huge sword in the other, looking ahead. The portrait figure turned and nodded at the redhead when she stepped inside, before resuming his pervious position.

Walking closer, Willow examined the books on the shelves. Most of them were books about wizarding world history, events and laws, but to the redhead's surprise, she also found couple of books that were clearly from the muggle world - mostly poetry and history books.

Turning towards the office desk, Willow sat on the office chair that once belonged to her great-grandfather, and found herself staring at a worn leather bond book lying on top of it. "The Rosenberg Family." She read out the golden title printed on it. "Ha." The redhead blinked, and opened the book.

On the first page was a family tree, but the letters were way too small for Willow to even read. Shaking her head a little, she reached out to turn over the page, when her finger touched one of the words. The redhead squealed when the page suddenly zoomed in and displayed the part of family tree the redhead had just touched in a much larger font size. She blinked for a second, before touching the same part again. This time, the page zoomed out, and returned to its original size.

"Wow. It's just like using Windows. I wonder if the design was based on it." The redhead quickly moved her fingers along on the page like using a mouse on the computer, zooming in and out on the different parts of the family tree. Suddenly getting an idea, the redhead double tapped on one of the names, and quickly, the pages turned itself towards a separate page of the book, showing the name she had just tapped along with a small portrait and a short introduction under it. "Cool!" The redhead grinned, tapping the opened page, and as quickly as before it turned itself back to the first page where the family tree was.

... 

Harry and Ron made their way towards the exit of the Great Hall. Hermione had been under Harry's silent and Ron's not-so-silent treatment ever since Professor McGonagall had taken away the Firebolt earlier. It didn't help when Xander pointed out the fact that he doubted the escaped prisoner would have enough money to buy the Firebolt just to put a hex on it and send it to Harry, which led to the revealing of Xander being Draco Malfoy's cousin.

Xander was so angry when he heard his friends reveal, accusing Hermione that she should have never put her nose to where she didn't belong and stormed out of the Hall. Buffy had quickly followed, leaving Hermione to face her two other equally angry friends alone. Finally having enough, the dirty blond witch left without another word.

"I can't believe Hermione would tell Professor McGonagall!" Ron said angrily as he walked towards the dormitory with Harry. "No. Wait. I **can** believe it. Xander's right. She always sticks her nose into other people's business. Who knows what'll be left after the Professor finishes striping down the Firebolt?"

"That's enough, Ron." Harry said tiredly, massaging the bridge on his nose.

"What? I'm just telling the truth." Ron frowned. "Do you think Xander will be okay?"

"I hope so." Harry sighed, wondering how things could go so wrong this Christmas.

... 

Willow spent her next half an hour clicking on different names on the family tree, but frowned when she found not all the names had their own separate page like the first one. As far as Willow had worked out, all of those who were married into the family did not have their separate page, as were some of Rosenbergs including her mother and grandfather. Another thing that had troubled Willow a bit was the tree had shown 'Voldemort' as her father instead of 'Tom Riddle', her father's real name.

Scratching her head a little, the redhead closed the book and turned towards the portrait behind her. She had recognized the face as Theophrastus Rosenberg III from the family tree - the grandfather of her mother and great-grandfather of Willow. Standing up, the redhead took in the details of the portrait, when she noticed something. "That's odd." The redhead frowned at the over-realistic thorns on the rose in the portrait. It was not that noticeable if you were looking from behind the desk, but it looked almost real when you stood right in front of the portrait. The redhead reached out, touching it softly, when she felt a stink. Pulling back her hand, she found a drop of blood on her figure tip. "Remember..." She whispered, remembering the dream she had the night she slept in the Great Hall couple months ago.

Suddenly a huge growl echoed in the room. Willow's head shot up, and found the portrait of her great-grandfather had disappeared, revealing a long dark passage behind it. The redhead blinked, rubbing her eyes couple of times to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. "To pick a rose you cannot avoid the thorns... it's all about the blood." Willow recalled the words Zuerst had said earlier. Closing her eyes, Willow took a deep breath and put her resolve face on, before stepping into the passage.

... 

"How could you Buffy!" Xander shouted at his friend as the blond witch caught up with him on the corridor near the Gryffindor common room. "How could you do this to me! We are supposed to be friends!"

"Hermione found it accidentally." Buffy reasoned. "We thought it would be better-"

"Better to just lie to me!"

"Would you even listen?"

"Well, I would if you just told me!"

"Look at yourself Xander! Every time we talked about it you went all crazy on us! And you wonder why we didn't tell you in the first place?" Buffy took a deep breath to calm herself. "Xander, we just didn't want to upset you more. We all know it is a sensitive topic to you-"

Xander sighed. "I know."

"Huh?"

"I know I'm related to Malfoy. Remember Aunt Andromeda?" Buffy nodded. "Aunt Andromeda is Mrs. Malfoy's sister. Mum said she was being cut off from the rest of the family because she married a muggle-born."

"Oh."

"And don't get me wrong. I may be a bit related the blonde wonder, we're not cousins. My father was disowned when he told his parents about my mum."

Buffy scratched her head a little. "The Blacks really don't like muggles, do they?"

"Yeah..." Xander trailed off, staring at the window facing the entrance of the castle. "Hey, isn't that your mum?"

"Huh?" Buffy narrowed her eyes. There was a bit of distance between where they were standing and the entrance of the castle, but she was quite certain that it was her mother and her step father. The two adults exchanged words, before quickly marching into the castle. The young witch couldn't help but feeling worried with she saw the distress on her mother's face.

... 

Willow stepped into the passage and looked around, but the weak light coming from the entrance was not enough to let her see anything. Suddenly, another loud growl echoed from behind. The redhead spun, just in time to see a huge stone wall slide in and close up the entrance. "NO!" She shouted, banging her fist on the cold wall.

"Hello." Willow spun towards the sudden voice and took a step forward. Immediately, the passage was filled with soft lights. She narrowed her eyes at the light on the other end of the passage, and slowly made her way towards it.

When the redhead reached the end of the passage, she was surprised to find herself standing inside a circular altar. Portraits hanging on the surrounding walls, and Willow recognized all their faces from the family book she had read earlier. A giant rose was now standing at the other side of the altar, and the redhead couldn't help but giggle when she got a clear look at it: the rose got short arms and small hands and small feet, goldfish eyes that were almost as huge as its' 'flowery' torso matching the friendly smile plastered on its' face - something that was definitely pulled out from some cartoons.

The rose took a step forward and bowed at Willow. "My name is Rose."

"Hi." Willow swallowed another giggle threatened to come and greeted back. "Willow. My name, I mean. Willow Slytherin."

"I know." Rose answered. "You're also the potential heir of the Rosenberg family."

"Potential... heir?"

"How long has it been?" Rose ignored the confused look on Willow's face and continued. "Eighty? No. Ninety." She nodded. "It has been ninety-one years since a potential heir has taken the test." She shook her head. "I blame your coward grandfather for that."

"Hey!" Willow protested. "You don't know him! Well, I don't know him either but still, hey!"

Rose laughed. "You're funny. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Business? What business? I just want to get out of here. I mean, no offence, you're being all cute and flowery but I just want to go back, get something to eat and get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow, okay?" Willow nodded at herself and turned around, only to find the passage she came from had already disappeared. "What the-"

"You're not leaving, Miss Willow." Willow turned back, watching as Rose slowly moved towards her. "Not until we're done here." The redhead swallowed as the friendly smile on Rose's face disappeared and quickly replaced by a dangerous smirk.

... 

* * *


	16. Part 16

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 16**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **I think I name the broom that Draco used as Nimbus 1991 instead of 2001 in 'Chamber of Secrets'... let's just ignore it and pretend it's 2001 from the start... hehe... ;p**   
Note 2: **Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

"Okay." Willow took a step back as the giant rose took step forward towards her, the look on Rose's 'face' sent a chill down the redhead's spine. "You're really starting to freak me out!" 

"You should be freaked out." Rose smirked, and held up a figure. Within a blink, the short figure transformed itself into a long wooden wand, and the giant rose immediately waved it at the redhead. "Incendio!" Fire shot out from the wand and landed right in front of Willow, lighting up the area around her. 

Willow jumped when she found herself surrounded by fire. Looking around panicking, she raised her hands to call on a spell, when she remembered she had her wand in her back pocket. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape had both asked the redhead not to use wandless magic, and instructed her to keep her wand with her at all times. Quickly drew out her wand, she pointed it at the fire. "Finite!" The fire disappeared, and the redhead quickly turned her wand towards Rose. 

"Not bad." Rose took another step towards Willow. "Petrificus Totalus!" 

"Protego!" Willow called before the binding spell could hit her, and deflecting it right back towards Rose. 

Rose ducked, barely missing the spell. "Expelli-" 

"Locomotor Mortis!" A bright light shot out from Willow's wand and hit Rose's legs before she could finish her spell. The giant rose fell onto the floor as her legs mystically stuck together. "Petrificus Totalus!" wasting no time, Willow called for another spell, effectively making Rose's body ridgid. 

The redhead stared at the rigid body for a second, before finally getting up enough courage to take a step closer. Suddenly, the body of Rose turned itself into some kind of liquid and started transforming into another form, as if it was the T-1000 from Terminator 2. 

Willow jumped back, watching with wide eyes as the liquid quickly materialized into a familiar form. "Mom?"

... 

"Giles?" Buffy called out as she pushed open the door. The young witch had gone to her stepfather's office after her talk with Xander, half excepting to see her mother there. Instead, she found the history professor sitting at his desk, polishing his glasses furiously while his wife was no where to be sight. "Where's mum?" 

"Oh?" 

Professor Giles frowned and put his glasses back on. The young witch's eyes narrowed a bit when she saw the usually neat man had his top three buttons of his robes undone, a worn look on his face. "I saw her outside the castle earlier." She said. 

Giles sighed. "I see." 

"Dad, what's going on? Is mum okay?" 

Professor Giles stood and made his way towards his step-daughter, putting a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Your mother is fine Buffy." 

"But-" 

"Please Buffy. I promise you. There's nothing you have to worry about." Giles smiled, and moved towards the closet at the end of his office. "Now, I know you've been practicing Quidditch..." 

"You knew?" Buffy squealed. "How did you- I never told anyone, not even Xander..." 

"I did practice a lot back in my days." 

"Right. Ravenclaw beater." Paused. "You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?" 

"Why the secrecy?" 

"I..." Buffy shifted nervously. "Just don't tell anyone, please?" 

"Well," Giles smiled softly as he pulled out a huge parcel. "Then I guess you wouldn't want the present..." 

"Present? I got a present?" Buffy's face brightened immediately and held out her hands. "Gimme gimme gimme!" 

Giles shook his head, and handed it to his daughter. Buffy quickly torn open the wrapping, and grinned when she saw a new broomstick. "Nimbus 2001!" 

"I know it may be slower compared to a Firebolt, but it is much faster than the Cleansweep or Comet. You won't believe how bloody expensive it is. I myself used a Nimbus 1500 while in-" Giles didn't get to continue as he suddenly had his hands full of his young daughter. 

"Thank you." 

"You're very welcome." Giles smiled. "It's dark out already. Promise me you won't try it out until tomorrow?" 

Buffy nodded eagerly. "I better go show it to the gang!" The blond witch grinned and quickly ran out of the office. 

Giles stood there, his soft smile slowly disappeared and replaced by a deep resolve.

... 

"Mom?" Willow blinked for a second, before rushing forward and kneed beside the older woman who was still lying on the floor, unmoving. 

Suddenly, Shelia's eyes shot open and she pointed her wand towards Willow. "Reducto!" Unprepared, Willow was thrown away by an invisible force. The redhead let out a cry as her back hit the wall at the far end of the room and slid onto the floor. "Willow." Shelia slowly stood up, her wand still pointing at the youngster. 

Willow coughed and looked up slowly, her eyes filled with tears. "Mom?" 

"Should have killed you a long time ago." Shelia growled as she waved her wand, throwing her only daughter towards another corner as if she was a rag doll. Willow cried out in pain, her wand dropped next to her. "Should have never given birth to you." 

"Mom... don't..." 

"Don't what? Don't hurt you?" Shelia let out a horrorible laugh. "Should have thought about it when you **murdered** me! Crucio!" Willow screamed as the spell hit her. The pain was so unbearable that she wished she could pass out: every nerve in her body was on fire, her muscles twitching uncontrollably. At the back of her mind, the young witch recognized the spell as one of the illegal curses that she had read about earlier in the library - one of the Unforgivable Curse; and she knew no matter how much pain she was in, the spell would not let her pass out. "Murderer!" 

"N-no..." Willow gasped. "It's-s a car a-accident..." 

"Why do you think would I be in that car! I was coming back for you!" Shelia shouted angrily. "Crucio!" Willow screamed even louder as the spell hit her again. "You ungrateful trash! If not for you I wouldn't have been hunted by those damn wizards! I wouldn't have had to run and hide in the muggle world and I certainly wouldn't have died!" 

"No!" Willow bit her lips and ignored the pain, trying to push herself up. "You're w-" Willow's words were cut short as Shelia once again waved her wand and introduced the girl to the hard wall. 

"You honestly think it was an accident!" Shelia moved towards Willow. "It was you! You and your stupid spells! You let them tail your mark back to Sunnydale!" The older Rosenberg grabbed Willow by the collar and picked her up. "YOU. KILLED. ME!" She then threw the redhead back onto the floor. 

"N-no! You're wrong!" Willow's eyes darted around, quickly located her wand lying just a couple feet away. "And y-you are not my mom! S-she's dead!" She turned back towards the older woman and shouted, slowly crawling backwards towards her wand. 

"Thanks to you!" Shelia stepped closer as the redhead crawled away from her. "You are the mistake I should have corrected a long time ago." She growled. "The only reason I let you live was because I needed a bargaining chip in case they found me. I would have never thought they would find you first. And now, your use is outlived." She held up her wand and waved towards Willow. "Avada Kedavra!" 

Willow rolled herself away, barely avoided the killing curse that was directed at her and picked up her wand in the process. "Expelliarmus!" She cried out, and the spell knocked the wand away from Shelia. 

Shelia growled again when she dropped her wand. Willow leaned against the wall and slowly pushed herself upwards. "You are not my mother." 

"Keep telling yourself that." Shelia spit. Willow's eyes narrowed at the woman before her. 

Suddenly, the hands' of the man in the portrait behind Willow grabbed her by her arms and knocked her wand back onto the floor. Shelia laughed, watching as Willow struggled to get herself free. She slowly made her way towards Willow and picked up her wand. "You shouldn't have fought back, Willow." The older woman hissed. Holding up the girl's wand on both ends, the older woman broke it into two over her knees and threw them away. "Now your wand pays the price." She then cocked her head and turned towards the other side of the altar, as if hearing something. "Phoenix." She smirked, before turning back towards Willow. "So my little trash has found herself a faithful phoenix. I can hear it screaming just outside the door. Too bad this place is warded." She thought for a moment. "Maybe I can let it in, and then kill it in front of you. Would you like that?" 

"You leave Bennu out of this!" 

"Bennu: Egyptian sun bird, symbol of Osiris incarnate, sacred bird of Heliopolis. Cute." Shelia smiled widened. "Let's see how the sacred bird does when it encounters a killing curse, shall we?" She turned around, and moved towards the other end of the altar. 

"NO!" Shelia turned back, and found herself staring at two black orbs.

... 

Buffy had just arrived from her father's office when she saw Harry sitting at the window sill in the common room, staring at the sky as if waiting for something. She grinned, put down her broom quietly, and snuck towards her friend. "Boo." 

Harry spun around. "Buffy." He sighed in relief. "You startled me." 

"That's the point." Buffy grinned. "What 'cha doing anyway?" She joined Harry near the window and looked out. "Waiting for something?" 

"Hedwig." 

"Hedwig?" Buffy blinked. "Ah. You managed to finish the letter?" 

Harry shrugged and looked out at the window again. Buffy frowned, only then she noticed the ring on Harry's right hand. "Didn't know you got a ring." She commented, holding Harry's hand up before he could protest. "Claddagh ring?" 

"You knew?" 

Buffy nodded. "It's facing inward..." She paused. "You sent the other one to Willow, didn't you?" 

"I bought them right before the semester started." Harry sighed and retreated his hand. "I would have given it to her earlier, but I just couldn't seem to find my courage." He sighed again. "Some Gryffindor." 

Buffy's head dropped a bit. "You really like her, aren't you?" She asked quietly. 

Harry nodded before turning towards the window again. Buffy stared at him for a moment, before slowly turning away and walking towards her dormitory, a half-confused, half-pained look plastered on her face, her new broom long forgotten.

... 

* * *


	17. Part 17

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 17**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story!**   
Note 2: **Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I would try to minimize the spelling and grammar mistakes, but well, i'm not really good at it (Computer program? sure. English grammar? um... no thanks). That's why i'm so glad that Joahn's here cos if not the story probably not even readable... (seriously strange though: i think that sentence in ch16 should be something like 'you really do like her, don't you?' or something in that fashion...)**   
Note 3: **The next couple of updates would probably take longer... my exam's in a month and the editing wasn't going too smoothly (namely because i'm too lazy and i've no idea what i was trying to say when i wrote it...) **

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_

Previously, Blood Ties:

_

"Bennu: Egyptian sun bird, symbol of Osiris incarnate, sacred bird of Heliopolis. Cute." Shelia smiled widened. "Let's see how the sacred bird does when it encounters a killing curse, shall we?" She turned around, and moved towards the other end of the altar. 

"NO!" Shelia turned back, and found herself staring at two black orbs. 

* * *

... 

"NO!" Willow screamed, her eyes instantly turned black as they burnt into Shelia's green. "Hissing, writhing, striking near!" 

Two snakes stretched out from the floor and wound themselves around Shelia's legs, pinning her on the spot. The older redhead looked down, but didn't seem too worried. She swung her legs, hard, and as quickly as they appeared, the two snakes dissolved into dust and exploded into thin air. "Cute trick." Shelia looked up at her daughter. "I'll give you that." She smirked, and raised her wand. "Crucio!" 

"Defendo!" Willow cried. The curse from the mother's wand hit directly on the white shield in front of the daughter, shattering the shield into pieces before disappearing itself. The young redhead then turned towards the hands that were holding her. "Extermino!" Immediately, fire engulfed both hands, forcing them to release Willow and drop her to the ground. Willow crawled away from the portrait as the fire quickly spread to the whole painting, and held out her hands. "Comburo!" The portrait exploded into pieces. 

"Reducto!" 

Willow spun towards Shelia's voice, but not fast enough to counter the spell before it threw her towards the wall once again. The young redhead cried out as her back hit the stone wall, and she pushed herself up when she saw Shelia stalking towards her. "Contego!" She called, and a bright green energy bubble quickly surrounded the girl, separating her from the older redhead. 

Shelia frowned. "So you can do magic without a wand. I have underestimated you." She pointed her wand at the bubble. "Finite!" Nothing. "Finite incantatem!" Still, the bubble was firmly in place. "Ah." She blinked, her lips slowly curved up. "Oh well," she shrugged before waving her wands again. "Avada kedavra!" 

Green lights shot out from Shelia's wand and headed towards the young redhead. The smirk on Shelia's face turned into a satisfying-grin as she watched the killing curse punch through the bubble and reach Willow's chest... 

... and shoot right past the young witch, hitting the wall behind her. The satisfied grin on Shelia's face turned to full blown horror as the image of the young redhead suddenly disappeared in front of her. "Hallucination!" Realization hit the older woman. "I can't believe it-" 

"Believe it." The older redhead spun around, and found Willow standing there, the darkness within her eyes quickly expanded towards the white until her eyes were totally black. Willow held out her hand, and instantly the wand in Shelia's hand flew into Willow's waiting palm. The young witch then held out her other hand, the palm facing the older redhead. "DEO!" 

Before the older redhead could register what was happening, she found herself being fastened to an invisible crucifix, her arms spread out, her left foot pressing backward against her right, the tip of her shoes barely touching the ground. "LET ME GO!" She screamed, struggling against the invisible bind. 

Willow slowly made her way towards the older woman until the two were face to face. "You want a murderer? I'll give you a murderer." She hissed, and stabbed the wand in her hand right into the middle of Shelia's neck. The older redhead choked as her airway was cut off by her own wand, blood coming from her mouth was spattered onto Willow's face. "I hate when people threaten what's mine." Willow said calmly, watching as the struggle of the older woman became weaker and weaker, until it finally stopped. 

When the older redhead finally stopped moving, the redhead waved her hand, dropping the woman's body onto the floor with a thud. As quickly as before, the body of Shelia Rosenberg dissolved into some kind of liquid and then reformed itself into Rose. 

Willow took a couple steps back as the giant flower slowly opened her eyes and rolled to her side, her big eyes staring at Willow. "Very impressive." She said, a smile formed on her cartoon-y face. 

Willow narrowed her black eyes. "It will be even more impressive when I pluck your petals one by one." 

"Hey now. It's your ancestors who designed the test. I only deliver the paper. Don't kill the messenger." 

"What test?" Willow shook her head, clearing her thoughts and the darkness that was still visible in her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Can you at least help me up first?" Rose asked, and Willow couldn't help but raised an eyebrow as she watched the giant rose start rolling on the ground, failing miserably trying to push herself up with her stubby arms. The redhead would have even giggled if not the fact that the giant rose was trying to kill her just a minute ago. After couple of minutes watching the rolling rose, well, rolled, Willow finally moved forward and helped her up. "Thanks." 

"Explain." The redhead took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

Rose nodded. "Every generation a test is given to the Rosenberg who wants to become the true heir. Only the one who has proven him or herself worthy can inherit the family's wealth." 

"First, I've already inherited the wealth. Second, you test us by killing us? You didn't only pretend to be my **dead** mother but you used a killing curse on me! Now you're telling me it was all a test! I don't even want to be a true heir, whatever that means!" Willow said angrily. 

"True, you have already inherited the mansion and your mother's property, but you have not inherited everything. Believe it or not,the Rosenberg's have more wealth than you can even imagine, not to mention all the books and artifacts that are stored here." Rose pointed at the portrait of Willow's great-grandfather, and instantly, the portrait slid to the side, revealing a hidden room. 

Willow slowly made her way towards the entrance and peeked inside, and found herself staring at a room filled with books and different artifacts - room that was even larger than the family library. "Wow." Her anger forgotten, and her mouth dropped open in awe. 

Rose smiled at her reaction and continued. "This room is now your own personal library. You and only you, the true heir of the Rosenberg estate, will be able to access it." She thought for a moment. "What I would like to know though, is how can you be so sure that was not your mother earlier? How can you be so sure that it was not your mother, or at least part of her?" 

Willow turned back towards Rose. "Mum's dead. I was there when nana identified the body." She shrugged, her eyes dropped a bit. "She might not be the most attentive mother in the world, but I know she would never try to kill her own daughter." She said quietly. 

Rose studied the redhead for a moment. "If you say so." 

Willow looked up, her eyes narrowed as Rose moved away.

... 

Rose moved away and picked up Willow's broken wand from the floor. She then held up her finger and waved. Instantly, the blood and dirt on the floor disappeared, the portrait that Willow had blown up earlier restored itself as if nothing had happened. The giant rose turned towards the younger redhead and threw the broken wand to her. 

Willow's hand shot out, barely catching the wand in time. Her eyes widened when she found instead of two broken pieces, she was now holding a whole wand, without even a mark on it. "What the..." She looked up at Rose, and found the giant flower was now standing in front of the hidden library, studying the new portrait that had appeared from no where. 

The young Slytherin took a couple steps closer, her eyes widened as she recognized herself in the new portrait, standing in front of a full-length mirror with her hand reaching out for the reflection. It wasn't her own face that caught most of her attention, but the blood that was dripping from the hand of her portrait-self and the black orbs of her reflection-self that seemed too cold to be human. The dream she had at the start of the semester came back to her in full-force. 

Rose turned her attention back towards Willow, seemly not noticing the look of almost-horror on her face. "Every true heir of the Rosenberg's family has a portrait in here, as well as in the family book." The giant flower explained. "Being a true heir does not only mean that one has control over the whole family, but that he or she has the responsiblity to maintain the family's glory and prestige. I know you also bear the name of Slytherin, but people will always remember the Rosenberg's blood in you, as will you." 

Willow forced herself to look away from the portrait. "It's always about blood, isn't it?" 

Rose nodded. "Let's move on, shall we?" 

Willow took a step back as Rose moved closer to her. "Don't worry. Here." The redhead was perplexed when Rose showed her a golden key that was linked to a necklace. "C'mon." She bent down a bit, and let Rose put the necklace around her neck. "This is the master key to all the properties that belong to the Rosenberg family, including this mansion. It is also the key to the all the vaults Rosenberg's have in Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Including the one belonged to the true heir: vault 911." 

The young Slytherin blinked. "911? Emergency call?" Rose stared at her in confusion. "Nothing." 

Rose shook her head a bit before continued. "As I said, it is the master key of everything that belongs to the family. Keep it with you at all times. It is charmed to be used only by the true heir. Anyone else attempting to use it will be electricuted." Rose paused before continuing. "As the matter of fact, do not tell anyone about the key or anything about this room. We don't need people poking around thinking that they might find something valuable. The whole mansion is warded and anyone who tries to get in without an invitation will only get himself killed." 

"Sounds dangerous." 

"It is." The giant rose nodded at the burns on Willow's arms. "You should get those taken care of." 

"Um?" Willow looked down at her arms. "Oh. Ouch." She was so busy trying to take everything in that she wasn't aware of her injuries until now. The burns on her arms when she tried to free herself from the portrait; the bruises that she could feel forming on her back and knees when she was thrown against the wall. "Yeah." 

"The house-elves are waiting outside. They will tend to your wounds." She pointed, and the wall on the other side slid open, revealing an exit. Willow looked between Rose and the exit. "Go on." 

The redhead nodded. She walked towards the exit, but stopped before reaching it. "What she said... what the fake Shelia Rosenberg said? Is that true?" 

"Does it matter?" Willow turned, and found Rose smiling at her. "You passed."

... 

Willow opened her eyes and groaned when she felt sunlight shinning through the window, binding her. Slowly pushed herself up, she looked around, and found herself sitting on the super-size bed that had once belonged to her great-grandfather. The house-elves had moved her from the smaller room to this super-size master bedroom after she had passed the 'test'. According to Zuerst, only the true heir would be allowed to move into this room - even though Willow would rather stay in the smaller room: the size of this room was simply too large for comfort. 

Sighing, the redhead leaned back against the headboard, when she noticed an owl resting near the night stand. "Hedwig?" She immediately recognized Harry's snow white owl. 

Hedwig flipped her wings a bit and took a step closer to Willow, her leg holding a small jewelry box and a short note. Accepting the offer, the redhead opened the jewelry box, and found a silver ring: two hands holding a heart that was wearing a crown. 

"Willow," Willow opened the note and started reading. "People call it a Claddagh ring. The heart of the ring represents love, while hands represent friendship and the crown represents loyalty. When people wear the ring on the right hand with the heart pointing outwards, it means they are free; if it is facing inwards, it means they are taken; and when people wear it on the left hand, it means they are committed. I had someone engrave our initials on it." The redhead turned the ring a bit and saw 'H' and 'W' engraved inside the ring. "I hope you like it. Miss you. Harry." 

The redhead Slytherin smiled, even though her eyes were suddenly filled with tears. She quickly put the ring on her right hand, the heart facing inwards.

... 

Harry was just about to leave for breakfast when Hedwig came back and dropped a small note into his hand. Harry quickly opened it, and grinned brightly when he saw the three words on the small note. 'Miss you too.'

... 

* * *


	18. Part 18

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 18**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before. 

Note 1: **First, I have to apologize for taking so long to get this update done. Exam and assignments are a bh. Anyway, I'll try to speed up the whole story. Thank you for all your patients!**  
Note 2: **I have received some emails and reviews asking about if I've got the first book's story. Sorry. I didn't write one. I do have some un-used draft, but I've given it up 'cos I don't think the story line will be interesting. Maybe I'll post some scenes of Buffy and Xander in their first year of Hogwarts later (as a short story or dabbles), but even if I did managed to finish it, it probably won't be posted until I finished Blood Ties.**  
Note 3: **Last but not least, thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story:)**  
Note 4: **Job interview tomorrow... cross figures!**

* * *

...

Harry rode the Shooting Star he had borrowed and flew around the Quidditch pitch trying to locate the Golden Snitch he had released earlier. The more he tried, the more frustrated he felt, and it only filled his anger towards Hermione. Sure, it was still possible to catch the snitch using the old school broom, but how could he catch it before his opponent did in a match when the broom could barely catch up?

He knew Hermione meant well, but that didn't- no, that **couldn't** stop him from being angry at the young witch. He knew Ron and Xander were also furious at her, and even Buffy, who usually took Hermione's side, had this 'what-were-you-thinking' look on her face whenever she saw Hermione.

"Someone missing a snitch?"

Harry blinked when he heard a familiar voice. He turned, a grin sneaked up onto his face when he saw it was Willow who was behind him riding her Comet 260. "Willow!"

"That's my name." The redhead giggled.

"When did you get back? I thought students going back home for Christmas wouldn't come back until tomorrow."

Willow's eyes darkened for a second but it disappeared immediately. "I didn't take the Hogwarts Express." She shrugged. "Hey, I would have thought you would have gotten a new broom already." She frowned when she saw Harry riding the old school broom. "You're not planning on using it in a match, are you? I mean, it can't even catch up with Cleansweep...?"

"I did get a new broom for Christmas." Harry sighed. "A Firebolt..."

"FIREBOLT!" Harry's ear almost fell off as the young redhead shouted. "Really! It's so cool!"

"But I don't have it anymore. Professor McGonagall has taken it away to strip it down..."

"Strip..." Willow paled. "B-but it's a Firebolt!"

"She wants to check for jinxes."

"Jinxes? JINXES!" If Harry's ear didn't fall off the first time, it sure did now as Willow shouted even louder. "She stripped down a **Firebolt** for **JINXES**! I-it's like striping down a DX2 to check for Monkey!"

Willow was so upset that she threw her hands up into the air, causing herself almost lost balance and giving the young Potter a heart attack. He reached out, holding the redhead as her hands reached for the broom once again. Harry sighed in relief as Willow finally regained her balance. "Are you okay?" The redhead nodded dumbly. "Um... what's DX2?"

"You know, i486DX2?" Harry gave Willow a blank look. "Intel 80486DX2 Microprocessor? Clock doubling? Running 25MHz plus at 50?" The black haired boy shook his head. "It's like the coolest CPU ever! Well, at least I think it is... because, hello! Internal clock speed doubling!"

"I still don't understand. And what does a monkey have to do with it?"

"Monkey, computer virus, ya know?" Harry shook his head again. "You wizard guys really don't use computers, do you?"

"Never had one."

"Oh. It just, well, like you strip down the latest DX2 computer because you think your computer caught Monkey, which is just a waste of time because Monkey Virus is a software problem and it won't help even you re-assemble your computer a thousand times unless maybe replacing your hard-drive but it'll be totally over-killed cause it just messes up with your Master Boot Record. See?" Harry nodded... very, very slowly. "I so need a muggle-geeky friend." Willow muttered and shook her head. "What are you going to do?"

Harry sighed. "Wait and hope for the best?"

"Well, I can lend you my Comet. It's not that fast but..."

"Thanks." Harry and Willow exchanged as smile. "So... um..." The redhead cocked her head as the black hair boy suddenly seemed embarrassed. "Did you get the ring..."

"Oh? Oh." Willow's face flashed. "Yeah. I mean, thanks." She pulled off her Quidditch glove, and a huge grin plastered on Harry's face as he saw the ring on her right hand, facing inward. "I-if that's okay..."

"Of course!" Harry quickly pulled off his own Quidditch glove and showed Willow the similar position of his Claddagh ring.

"I don't have anything for you though. I mean, I have, but it's not ready and-"

"It's okay." The boy-who-lived reached out and held Willow's hand. "Really."

The two youngsters just sat there (on their brooms in the air), their hands holding, smiling, staring at each other. Neither of them noticed the figure at the far end of the pitch, watching quietly.

...

"Hagrid?" Hermione pushed open the front door of Hagrid's hut and peeked inside, only to find the half-giant sitting by his fireplace, crying his heart out. "Hagrid? Are you okay?"

"Yeh' heard?" Hagrid turned towards Hermione and asked, wiping his face with his sleeve.

Hermione stepped into the hut and closed the door before taking the seat beside the professor. "What is it?"

Hagrid opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out tears started flowing again. He shook his head, and gave Hermione the ball of paper in his hand. Hermione frowned, opening the paper and started reading. "Dear Mr. Hagrid... yada yada... uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy... Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?" She sighed and looked up back at Hagrid as she finished. "Hagrid, they're just going to hold a hearing. I'm sure-"

"Yeh don't know thos' gargoyles! They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

Hermione swallowed, her eyes moved towards Buckbeak which had somehow got taken into the small hut of Hagrid's, and now resting at the corner, chomping some unknown creature and spilling the blood all over the floor. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe." She told Hagrid. "You just have to put up a good strong defense."

"Won't make no diff'rence!" Hagrid sobbed harder. "They're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! If I lose the case, Buckbeak..."

"You won't." Hermione put her hand on Hagrid's shoulder. "I'll help you."

...

The Christmas and New Year's holiday finally ended, and Hogwarts was now once again filled with students. Harry couldn't help but feel a bit depressed, not only did his professor still refuse to give him back the Firebolt, but that his time with Willow had been cut short greatly... especially for some reason Malfoy had always been hanging around the redhead. They had exchanged letters almost everyday, and the two had tried to at least met up once a week for their secret Quidditch practice, but Draco's near constant presence around Willow only left the boy-who-lived with a pit of unsettlement inside and a big pile of jealousy.. Sometimes he almost wished the Sorting Hat had sorted him into Slytherin three years ago... almost.

"Harry, you came."

Harry looked up at the voice, so deep in thoughts that he found himself stepping into Professor Lupin's classroom without even knowing. The professor of the Defense Against Dark Arts had promised to teach him how to defend himself against Dementors, and today would be his first lesson. "Professor Lupin."

The professor smiled at him, before standing up from his table and moved towards the younger wizard. "Are you sure about this, Harry? You know this is a very advanced magic, well beyond the ordinary wizard would have."

"I'm sure."

The professor nodded. "Now, the spell I am going to try to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Have you ever heard of it?" Harry shook his head. "No? Well, a Patronus is a kind of positive force, works something like a shield so the Dementor will be feeding on it rather than you. In order for it to work, you will need to think of a memory: a happy memory, a **powerful** memory. Can you do this?"

Harry nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Very well. Close your eyes and concentrate." Harry closed his eyes. "Explore your past. You have a memory?" The dark haired boy nodded. "Allow it to fill you up, lose yourself into it, and speak the incantation: Expecto Patronum."

"Expecto Patronum." Harry repeated, before opening his eyes.

"Very good." Professor Lupin smiled and moved towards a huge trunk at the side of the room. He gestured Harry to step forward. "Shall we?" Harry nodded. "Wand on ready." He pulled out his wand from his robe and held it tightly. "Now!"

The professor opened his trunk, and a Dementor appeared from the trunk and started moving towards Harry. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, but to his horror, nothing happened. The Dementor moved closer and closer. "Expecto-" The dark haired boy took a few steps back. "Expecto-" His breath became faster and faster. "Expecto..." Slowly, everything in front of his went black.

...

"Are you sure?"

Willow stopped and turned towards her friend. "You don't have to come with me, Dawnie."

"No way. I'm so not going to stay in the room alone with Parkinson." Dawn made a face. "I mean, Dementors or Parkinson? I choose Dementors any day."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "She's not that bad."

"To you, you mean. No one in Hogwarts except you and may be Draco can be safe from the wrath of Pansy Parkinson."

"You make Pansy sound like some kind of monster."

"But she is!" Dawn protested. Willow shook her head, and started walking towards the front gate of Hogwarts. "Why are we looking for Dementors anyway?"

"This." Willow held out the necklace she held in her palm. "If everything works out, the necklace should be able to protect the wearer from Dementors... but I need something from them... a hair or something."

"Protect? The Dementors didn't attack-" Realization drawn. "Oh. **Ohhhh**." She smirked. "To certain boy-who-lived, huh?" She hit the redhead on her shoulder lightly.

Willow blushed. "I am going to make you one too."

"As long as I get presents." Dawn shrugged. "But... do Dementors even have hair?"

"Let's hope so. Because I'm not sure it will work without anything from them."

Dawn stopped as they almost reached towards the front gate. "Speaking of Dementors... have you notice that we haven't come across a single one since we stepped out of the castle? Aren't they supposed to be guarding every entrance?"

"I know... I saw them flying passed outside our dorm's window all night, but once we left the ground..." Willow shook her head. "I don't understand."

"It's like they're trying to avoid us..."

"Avoid..." Willow halt, a deep frown appeared on her pale face.

"Do you think they're up to something?"

Willow looked at Dawn for a moment. "Let's go." She finally answered. "I don't think we'll find one tonight." She said, and walked away quietly, leaving her friend confused as ever.

...

* * *


	19. Part 19

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 19**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story.**

* * *

... 

Harry slowly opened his eyes and growled. "Harry." He turned and found Professor Lupin kneeing beside him, a warm smile on his face. He reached out, and helped Harry sat up "C'mon. Deep breaths." He instructed. 

Harry looked around and frowned. "I..." 

"It's alright, Harry. I didn't except you to do it the first time. In fact, I would have been astounded if you had." The professor handed Harry some chocolate. "Here. Eat this. You'll feel better." 

Harry accepted the chocolate and took a bite. "That was a nasty Dementor." 

"Oh no, Harry. That was a Boggart. I found it lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet last week. The real thing will be much much worst." Professor Lupin explained. "Matter of interest. What memory did you use?" 

"First time I rode a broom." 

"That's not good enough." The professor shook his head. "Not **nearly** good enough." Harry frowned. "Why don't you go back and have some rest? We'll continue next week." 

"But..." Looking at the professor's pale face, Harry sighed. "Yes professor." He stood. "Good night professor." 

Professor Lupin watched as the young wizard moved towards the door for a moment before calling out. "Harry?" Harry halted. "Think of a memory, okay?" 

Harry nodded and left.

... 

Willow opened her eyes and looked around, smiling as she found her roommates sleeping deeply. She turned towards the other way, resolve painted her face as she saw a Dementor fly passed it. Quietly, she flipped away her blanket, picking up her broom and sneaked out of the room. 

Looking around making sure no once was here, Willow moved towards the end of the corridor and pulled out her wand. "Alomahora." She waved her wand at the window, and pushed it open. She then climbed up of the window sill and mounted her broom, before taking a deep breath, and jumped. 

Willow bit her lips, stopping herself from screaming as the broom waving and swaying in the air. When the broom finally stabilized, the redhead sighed in relief and started looking around. "C'mon..." She narrowed her eyes when she saw something black reflected under the moon light, and without a second thought, she took off. 

It didn't take long for Willow to finally catch up with the Dementor. The Dementor stopped and turned around, but took off again when it recognized the redhead. 

"Hey! Stop!" Willow ordered. To her surprise, the Dementor followed the command and halted. She quickly flew passed the Dementor and stopped right in front of it. "Why are you avoiding me?" She paused. "You're avoiding me, aren't you? All of you. I need to know why." 

The Dementor just floated in the air, not moving, as if studying the redhead. After a moment, it turned around, intended to leave. Willow took off with her broom and stopped right in front of the Dementor again. "WHY!" 

Slowly, the Dementor held up its hand; its long, bone white figure appeared from the dark cloak, shaking slightly. Then, it slowly moved forward, floating right pass the redhead and disappeared into the night. 

Willow tightened her grip on the broom, so hard that her knuckles turned white, even though her eyes were as black as night.

... 

"We don't have to cheer for Slytherin, do we?" 

Harry, Ron, Xander and Buffy were making their way towards the Quidditch pitch. It was the first Quidditch match for the new semester, and the first match for Slytherin since Professor Snape had asked for delaying all Slytherin's matches due to Draco's injury. In Harry's opinion, it didn't matter anyway since Draco wasn't that good of a seeker. "You don't have to, I guess." Harry shrugged. "I'm only cheering for Willow anyway." He blushed immediately when he realized what he had said. 

Buffy exhaled. 

"I really don't know what you see in her, Harry." Xander sighed. Harry immediately sent a glare at him. 

"She is nice enough, but did you see her last night at dinner with those piles of books?" Ron made a face. "I swear she reads even more than Hermione." 

"At least she plays Quidditch." Xander sighed again. 

"Where's Hermione, by the way?" 

"I've asked her." Buffy answered. "She rumbled something about two hundred and twenty-six pages and then shooed me away." 

"That girl is getting crazier and crazier." Ron shook his head, and immediately received a smack on the back of his head from Buffy. "Hey!" 

"I don't care if you're still angry at her, Ron. She's our friend." Buffy scowled before turning towards Harry. "I have asked Giles to see if he can get the Firebolt back, but he said," she cleared her throat and put on her best 'Giles-stuffy-face'. "'It is for Harry's own safety, Buffy', and then he started cleaning his glasses again." 

"It's okay, Buffy." Harry sighed again as they chose to stood along with the Ravenclaw students at the stadium. 

The match finally started. Harry couldn't help but grin when Willow spotted him from the air and waved happily at him. As the game processed, Ravenclaw managed to score thirty points, while Slytherin scored twenty. Willow had managed to make a couple of good saves, but not enough as Ravenclaw's strong defense had given the Slytherin's Chasers a really hard time. 

"_Ravenclaw in possession._" The commentator's voice echoed in the pitch but could only be barely heard through the cheering. "_Roger Davies is heading for the go- wow!_" Everyone in the pitch watched as Marcus Flint, chaser and captain of Slytherin team, held up his elbow and smashed it towards Davies' face. The hit wasn't hard enough to draw blood, but enough to cause the Ravenclaw captain to drop the Quaffle. "_It's a foul! Ravenclaw penalty!_" 

"The Slytherins are getting more violent." Buffy frowned. 

"They're desperate, I guess." Harry commented. He watched as Roger Davies, the captain and chaser of the Ravenclaw prepared for the penalty, and Willow started flying around the three goal hoops at a high speed. 

"_Willow Slytherin is doing a double eight loop. Will she be able to stop the goal?_" 

"Is Willow using a Comet?" Xander asked. "I thought she has a hand-made broom." 

"She bought it just before the new school year started." Harry explained. 

"It looks slower." Ron frowned. 

Harry didn't comment but focused on the Slytherin Keeper as the match continued. 

"_Davies shoots! Slytherin hit the Quaffle away! What a disappointment!_" 

"Yes!" Harry shouted excitedly, and immediately earned himself a sea of glares from the Ravenclaw students around him. "Ah..." 

"Keep it down if you wanna get out here alive." Buffy whispered to her friend. 

"_Montague! Pass to Flint! To Montague again! Ravenclaw steals the Quaffle! Davis heading towards the goal! He shoots!_" The Ravenclaw students watched in awe while the Slytherin students cheered as Willow blocked the Quaffle with her one hand and leg curled around the handle of her broom and her other limbs outstretched. "_Starfish and stick! A beautiful save from the Slytherin team!_" 

"Wow. When did she learn that move!" Xander said, his mouth dropped open. 

Harry smirked at his friend's expression. He and Willow had spent quite sometime practicing different moves together. Harry had been practicing on 'wrongski defensive feint' while Willow's working on her 'starfish and stick'. 

Harry's smirk turned into a frown when Draco and another Ravenclaw player raced passed in front of him. He turned towards them, and recognized the Ravenclaw player as Cho Chang, the famous (and pretty... even though he would never admit it in front of Willow) Ravenclaw seeker. 

"She's fast, even though she's only using a Comet." Xander said. 

"Are you kidding? She's bloody brilliant!" 

Harry smiled at Ron's expression, before turning back towards Cho Chang. "She's using the same broomstick as Willow." He commented. 

"The **whole** Ravenclaw team is using the same broomstick as Willow, Harry, or you didn't notice until now?" Xander grinned, and Harry blushed immediately. "You really got it bad, Harry." 

Buffy exhaled quietly... again. 

"_Malfoy catches the snitch!_" The gang turned back towards the match, and found the Malfoy was now in the middle of the pitch, holding up the golden snitch in the air. "_Slytherin wins!_" 

"Damn it!" 

"Don't curse, Xander." Buffy gave his friend a disapproving look. 

"Like you don't." Xander countered. 

"It's a close one." Ron said. "You reckon we have a chance winning the Quidditch cup this year?" 

"May be." Harry shrugged, and grinned when he saw Willow waving at him. He waved back, smiling, but his smile quickly turned into shock as a bright green ball of energy shot towards her from no where. "WATCH OUT!" 

Hearing the warning, Willow quickly swerved away, barely avoiding the energy ball that was heading towards her. It hit the wall behind her, leaving a hole on the wooden structure. 

Students started screaming as a second ball of energy appeared and shot towards Willow again. The redhead pulled up and opened her palm, facing outwards and called on a shield. The energy ball hit the redhead's shield and exploded. But even before the dust from the explosion settled, a third energy ball appeared and headed towards the redhead. She quickly pulled up her broomstick, but not fast enough as the energy hit the handle of her broom. 

Willow's broom got hit by the energy ball and smashed into two. She fell backwards, her head hit the goal hoop behind her before crashing onto the ground. Harry screamed and quickly ran towards the pitch with his friends. 

"Everyone to the castle!" Dumbledore ordered as he too moved towards the unconscious redhead with other professors. 

Draco was the first to reach Willow's side. He quickly knelt beside her, looking at the arriving professors with a panicky expression on his face. Harry looked down, his eyes widened when he saw blood covering the redhead's forehead. "Willow!" He reached for her, only to be shoved away by the Slytherin Prince. 

"Get away from her, Potter!" Draco shouted. 

Dumbledore ignored Draco and Harry and focused on Willow. He carefully reached the redhead's head and neck, checking the bones, before turning towards to Hagrid. "Hagrid. Take her to Madam Pomfrey. Hurry." Hagrid nodded, carefully picking up the redhead before running towards the hospital wing. Without another word, Harry and Draco immediately followed.

... 

"But-" 

"OUT!" Madam Pomfrey ordered. Hagrid looked apologetically at Harry, before closing the door of the hospital wing, leaving the gang and the Slytherin students outside. 

Harry stared at the closed door, his hands shaking. Suddenly, he felt himself being shoved onto the floor. He looked up, and found Draco glaring at him angrily. 

"Hey!" Buffy quickly moved herself in front of Harry. But to her surprise, Dawn also moved forward and put herself in front of Harry, shielding him. 

"What's your damage Malfoy?" Dawn shouted at her fellow Slytherin. 

"Move aside, Rosier! It's between me and that mudblood-lover." Draco shouted back, pointing at Harry. 

"Right. You pushing him around will help Willow. **Very** mature." Dawn rolled her eyes, before turning towards Buffy and the others who were helping Harry up. "Potter, you better leave." 

"Ms. Rosier is right, Mr. Potter." The students turned around and found Professor Snape standing there. "What happened to Ms. Slytherin is none of your concern. Headmaster has ordered all students to report to their common rooms. We wouldn't want the **good** name of famous Potter to be destroyed, now do we?" 

"I don't need you to care about my good name, Professor." Harry grounded his teeth. 

Snape narrowed his eyes, before bending down a bit and whispered into Harry's ear. "Ms. Slytherin has a bright future, Mr. Potter, and she doesn't need some... un-wanted distraction lurking around in shadow like a love sick puppy." He hissed. "You **will** leave her alone. And this will be your only warning." He then stood high and turned towards Draco. "Report back to the common room, Malfoy." 

"But Prof-" 

"**Now**!" 

Harry and Draco both stared hard at the professor, before leaving for their prospective common rooms.

... 

* * *


	20. Part 20

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 20**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Once again, thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story. Some of the development of the later part of the story was actually Joahn's suggestion, which made the story interesting, so THANK YOU JOAHN!**   
Note 2: **And also, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I know there's a bit of confusion/unknown right now regarding on Buffy-Xander-Harry-Willow relationship; it's actually kind of non-problem until I've cut out a huge part of them during the final edition (so that it won't seem so long and boring... but now it seems the editing only made the story more confusing... :sigh:) Buffy will get a bit more focus later on in the story, hopefully that will clear up any confusion u guys may have.**   
Note 3: **Thank you Jule for pointing out that Willow seems to be so super-y in this fic. I am in no way to trying to make Willow 'Mary Sue', but I do tend to make her sounds like one, which is something I really need to work on (sometimes it's kinda hard when it's your favorite character... :sigh again:). I'll try to make Willow more into the character, and hopefully, more realistic.**

* * *

... 

"You reckon she will be alright?" Ron asked as he followed the other Gryffindors towards the Great Hall for dinner. Earlier Professor McGonagall had announced that people from the Ministry of Magic was now searching the Hogwarts ground for the attacker. No students were allowed to leave the castle until further notice. 

"I don't know." Buffy answered. "She hit her head pretty hard." She turned to Harry. "You okay?" 

Harry nodded, but his face was as grim as Professor Snape. 

"I'm sure she'll be alright." Xander said, trying to comfort his friend. "She looks like someone who won't go without a fight." 

Buffy raised an impressive eyebrow. "It almost sounds like a compliment." 

"I don't like her. But that doesn't mean I want her dead." 

"Dead?" Harry spun towards Xander and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "DEAD!" 

"Calm down, Harry. Madam Pomfrey can heal almost anything. Slytherin will be fine." Ron cooed. "We can go visit her after dinner if you want." 

"No, you can't." 

The gang stopped when they saw Dawn Rosier standing there, her back leaning against the wall at the corridor just outside the Great Hall. 

Buffy took a step forward. "What do you want, Roaster?" 

Dawn rolled her eyes at Buffy before turning towards Harry. "I just want to tell you that Willow has been moved back to her private room. I don't think anyone will be allowed to visit her in the mean time." 

"And how would you know that?" 

"Professor Snape had the house-elves move all Willow's stuff back to her room. She probably will be staying there for some time. Besides, not even I, her **Slytherin** roommate, can visit her. Do you honestly think a Gryffindor can?" 

Harry face, if possible, dropped to a new low. "Oh." 

"Why are you telling us this?" Xander asked. "Why are you helping us at all? You helped Harry earlier outside the Hospital Wing." 

Buffy narrowed her eyes for a second, before suddenly widened. "You have a crush on Harry!" 

"Oh get your head out of the gutter, **Bunny**." Dawn rolled her eyes again. "Just because I'm a Slytherin doesn't mean I've got to take every chance of chewing you up and spitting you out, which sounds kinda strange when you speak it out loud." She frowned and shook her head a bit before continued. "Who do you think is covering for her when she's out for those private sessions of yours?" Harry blushed. "Certainly not Pansy. Besides, I'm not really helping you, I'm just helping Willow." Her eyes softened at the worried expression painted on Harry's face. "She'll be fine." 

"Thank you." 

Dawn smiled, giving the gang a wave before walking back into the Great Hall. 

"She isn't that bad." Buffy said, somehow in awe. 

"It almost sounds like a compliment." Xander teased. 

"That's not a compliment, merely an observation." Buffy rolled her eyes before quickly disappeared into the Great Hall. 

Xander snorted and followed.

... 

Harry and the gang went back to the common room when they saw Hermione sitting at the corner, her head buried into the pile of books in front of her. Harry shook his head, before moving towards the couch and joined the others. 

"Bloody hell. I forgot to give Scabbers his rat tonic." Ron jumped up. "I'll be right back." 

Buffy watched as Ron ran up the stairs towards the boy's dormitory, before turning towards the others. "She looks lonely." She nodded at Hermione. 

Harry and Xander followed her line of sight. "I guess." Harry sighed. "Had she even gone for dinner?" 

"I don't remember seeing her." Xander said. "Besides, with the whole Firebolt thing... and it's not like we didn't try to include her." 

"I know. I just... I just think we should try harder or something." Buffy stood. "I am going to talk to her." She announced, and matched towards where Hermione was. 

Harry and Xander watched quietly as Buffy and Hermione exchanged words, when suddenly Ron ran back to the common room, accomplished with a surprisingly girly scream. Everyone in the common room halted and turned towards the stairs as Ron leaped into view, holding his bed sheet. "LOOK!" He shouted, storming towards Hermione, waving the bed sheet at her. 

Harry and Xander quickly joined in. "Ron, what-" 

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!" 

Hermione backed away from Ron as Buffy moved forward, half shielding Hermione, both of them looked shocked. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding, and saw some red stain on it... stain that looked extremely like blood. 

"HE'S GONE!" Ron yelled. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR!" 

"N-no." Hermione blinked, her voice trembled at the fury written all over Ron's face. 

Ron's fist shot out, the sudden aggressive movement caused Hermione to jump a bit. The others leaned forward as Ron opened his fist, and found themselves staring at several long ginger cat hairs.

... 

Two days since the Quidditch Match, while Willow had yet to return to class, the friendship between Ron and Hermione seemed to have come to an end. Harry had never seen Ron that furious before, claiming that if Hermione had taken Crookshanks' attempts of eating Scabbers seriously and kept a close watch on him, Scabbers would not be eaten. 

Hermione, on the other hand, refused to believe that her cat had done anything wrong. She maintained that Ron should continue looking for Scabbers, saying that the ginger hairs might have been there for some time, and that Ron couldn't be sure his pet rat was dead. 

Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers. Buffy and Xander agreed with him too. The blond witch had made a huge mistake pointing out that all the evidences were against Crookshanks in front of Hermione, and the Gryffindor bookworm exploded immediately. "Side with Ron!" She yelled at Buffy in the middle of the Great Hall, in front of everyone. "First the Firebolt, now Scabbers! Everything's my fault, isn't it!" She then jumped up from the chair and started gathering her books. "Just leave me alone! I've got lots of work to do!" 

Sighing, Harry looked up at Professor McGonagall at the front of the classroom. "That is all for today." She announced as students started packing their books. "Do remember to read pages 211 to 243 for next week." 

"Harry? Coming?" Xander asked as he stood, with Ron and Buffy in row. 

"I'll see you guys later." Harry said before walking towards the Professor. Xander shrugged, and pulled Buffy and Ron out of the classroom. 

"Oh. Mr. Potter." The professor looked up and sighed when she saw it was Harry. "The Firebolt-" 

"It's not what I wanted to ask." Harry blurted out, and the professor looked at him curiously. "I was wondering if Willow... Is she alright?" 

"Ms. Slytherin?" Professor McGonagall frowned. "She has yet to regain consciousness." Harry's face paled a bit. "But I'm sure she is fine. Madam Pomfrey believes that she should be able to wake up very soon." 

"C-can I visit her?" 

"I'm sorry, Potter. But the Minister feels the need to separate Miss Slytherin from other students for their safety..." 

"Safety? But Willow would never hurt anyone!" 

"I'm talking about her attacker, Mr. Potter. What if he strikes again in a room full of students? His attack in the Quidditch pitch has clearly shown that he had no regard of other students. We have to consider the safety of innocents..." 

"Innocents? Professor, it isn't her fault that she got attacked!" 

"Potter-" 

"It's not her fault that you are all afraid of her! It's not her fault that her father is **VOLDEMORT**!" 

The professor stared at Harry with wide eyes. Harry in turn stood there, panting, not because he was out of breath but because he was shocked with his own anger and the fact that he had just shouted at a professor, and Professor McGonagall no less. "Mr. Potter, do be careful with who you tell of Ms. Slytherin's father." She said coldly when she finally came out of her shock. 

"I-I am sorry professor." 

The Deputy Headmistress nodded at the door. "Do go on, Potter. Or you will be late for the next class." 

Harry watched as Professor McGonagall looked down and started working on the piles of parchment on her desk. He sighed, and quickly left the classroom. Only when Harry closed the door that Professor McGonagall looked up with a deep frown on her face.

... 

Buffy was just about to enter the classroom with Ron and Xander when Filch suddenly appeared. "You. Come with me." He ordered before quickly walked away. 

"What's going on?" Xander frowned and looked at Buffy. "Did you do something?" 

The blond thought for a moment. "No." She shook her head. "I-" 

"Hey!" Filch's voice drew the trio towards the caretaker. "Move! I don't have all day!" 

The trio looked at each other, before Buffy quickly followed Flitch down the corridor. Ron and Xander turned towards each other for a second, before quickly ran towards the direction Filch and Buffy had just disappeared.

... 

_ "We met again." _

Willow blinked when she found herself standing on the dark path she had dreamed half year ago, facing her Mirror-self once again. 

"You look taller! Thinner though. You should eat more. Nutrients are vital for children at your age." 

Willow rolled her eyes. "Go away." She dismissed the mirror before turning away, trying to figure out where she was. 

"It has started, you know? Things will only get worse when he comes back." Willow frowned and turned around, only to find the Mirror had disappeared, leaving only her other self's voice in the air. "And when the time comes, you will have to choose a side... not that you'll have any choice. After all, it's in your blood." 

"What are you talking about?" Willow shouted into the air. "Hey! Come back! Com-" Suddenly, the redhead dropped onto the ground as pain shot through her skull. "Come back..." 

"Mi-Mistress? Are you a-alright?" 

Willow groaned, blinking painfully at the unforgiving sunlight that was now blinding her eyes. 

"Mistress?" 

The redhead forced her eyes opened again, and found a pair of extra large hazel eyes staring back at her. "Eep!" She pushed back a bit, ignored the screaming headache as she focused the house-elf in front of her, who was... kneeling on top of her? 

"S-sorry, Mistress." The house-elf said as she bowed her head. "I-I didn't mean to s-startle you." She held up a glass and handed it to Willow. "This-s potion should le-lessen your headache, Mistress." 

"Um... okay?" Willow accepted the glass. "Thanks." She took a small slip for taste, before finishing it in one gulp, her eyes never once left the house-elf. 

After finishing the potion, Willow put the glass on the nightstand, before turning back towards the still bowing house-elf. "Um... could you like... get off me?" 

"Yes-s Mistress." The house-elf stumbled back onto the ground, and almost fell over when she stepped on the over-size garment bag she was wearing. 

"Why do you keep calling me Mistress? I don't remember being anyone's Mistress... well, except Zuerst and Zweiter..." Willow frowned. "They sent you?" 

"Zuerst did, Mistress. He s-sent me o-once we received news of the attack, Mistress. I was-s sent to protect and serve you while you're in school, Mistress-" 

"Please just... just stop calling me Mistress. I know it's family tradition to call the heir Mistress or something but we're not in the house. Call me Willow. Please." The redhead pleaded, and sighed in relief when the house-elf nodded. "I don't remember seeing you around the house. I thought we only got two house-elves: Zuerst and Zweiter." 

"We are not a-allowed to show o-ourselves u-unless necessary, Mist-Miss-s Willow. No lower class house-elves a-are allowed to h-have c-contact with M-Mist-Miss Willow w-without permission, Miss-s Willow." 

"Who said so?" 

"The rules h-have been enforced for h-hundreds of years, Miss Willow." 

"Oh." Willow sighed. "So... what's your name?" 

"Neunter, Miss Willow." 

"Ninth..." The redhead frowned. "Can I call you other than your number? I know I wasn't suppose to, but..." 

"Ah..." Neunter's head dropped a bit. "Buffy, Miss Willow." She whispered. 

The redhead Slytherin blinked once. Twice. "Excuse me?" 

"B-Buffy, Miss Willow. I was-s named Buffy before j-joining the Rosenberg's house." 

Willow stared at house-elf, looking up and down at her small frame and big hazel eyes. She couldn't help but started giggling.

... 

Buffy found herself being led to her step father's office. She could see Giles and her mother standing not far ahead with some men she didn't know, talking. She walked deeper into the office, only to halt when she saw an un-familiar yet recognizable figure standing on the other side of the room. "You!" She growled. 

Hank Summers took a step forward, his head held high as his hazard eyes boiled into his daughter's. "Buffy."

... 

* * *


	21. Part 21

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 21**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Sorry it took so long. This is by far the hardest part to edit. I've to rewrite it couple of times trying to get the right tone and speed for the plot... and then my typing speed had reduce like half cos my left wrist's swelling like no tomorrow after the bike accident couple days ago... grr... elephant hand...**   
Note 2: **Thanks again for everyone's reviews. This part (and later parts) of the story will have a bit more info on Buffy and Xander's background and about their relationship, and hopefully will clear up any question regarding the two of them.**   
Note 3: **Last but not least, thank you JOAHN for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

"What are you doing here!" Buffy shouted, drawing everyone's attentions towards her. "What is he doing here?" The young blond pointed at Hank as she turned towards her mother. 

Joyce quickly moved towards the youngster, hoping to calm her down, only to be beaten as Hank Summers took a step towards his daughter, his eyes staring at the young blond with cold fury. "Is that how you greet your father?" 

"You are **not** my father!" The blond witch growled. 

"Miss Summers," Buffy narrowed her eyes and turned towards the three unknown men in the office. The one with a pair of spectacles and a look of solemn took a step forward towards Buffy. "My name is Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office of the Ministry of Magic." The youngster's eyes widened. "This is Auror Chester Dawlish," he nodded a well built wizard behind him before pointing at the younger man next to him. "And Joseph Tandy from the United State Department of Magical Affair. We are here to settle the issues regarding your custody." 

"My custody? What are you talking about?" 

"Your custody has been agreed upon to be given to Mrs. Giles when your parents' divorce-" 

"He," Buffy growled again as she pointed at her birth father. "Is not my anything." 

Mr. Scrimgeour never once flinched at the anger showing in Buffy's eyes as he continued. "Regardless, Mr. Summers, as your birth father, still retained his visiting rights." He turned a bit towards Mr. Tandy, getting a confirmation nod from the younger man before continued. "Mr. Summers had filed a report to the American Authorities regarding this issue. It is his claim that your mother had breached his visiting right when she re-married and moved to England." 

"This is the reason why I was sent here to England, Miss Summers. While Mr. and Mrs. Giles had handed in a great deal of evidence during the last couple of months," the young blonde's eyes narrowed a bit when she heard 'last couple of months'. "We will still need your statement." He turned towards the other adults in the room. "Your parents are allowed to stay during the interview... or if you wish to be interviewed alone?" 

Buffy eyed her mother and step-father for a moment, before turning back towards Mr. Tandy. "Alone." 

"But Buffy-" 

Mr. Tandy held up his hands, stopping Joyce from saying anything. "Of course." The American nodded at Mr. Dawlish, and the Auror stepped forward towards Giles, Joyce and Hank, gesturing them to step out of the room. Hank and Giles narrowed their eyes at each other as they moved towards the exit. Joyce turned around, about to hug her daughter, when Buffy took a step back, her eyes refused to meet her mother. Heart-broken, Joyce followed Giles and Hank and left the room.

... 

"Stop that!" Ron shouted as he pulled the struggling Xander further and further away from Giles' office. The two Gryffindors had been eavesdropping outside in the corridor when Xander suddenly went ballistic and tried to kick the office door opened. Ron immediately pulled him away, just in time to stop the black haired boy from doing something stupid and got them expelled. 

Finally, Xander shrugged away from Ron's restraint. "What are you doing! I need to go kick some asses-" 

Xander was about to stormed back to Giles' office when Ron stopped him again. "What asses? Have you fallen off your trolley! That's Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of Auror office! He will hex you to Azkaban before you even know it!" Ron hissed. "And what's with you? So that's Buffy's birth-father-" 

"He's a scumbag Ron! A useless, heartless, son of a bitch!" 

"What are you rambling about?" 

Xander took a deep breath, calming himself a bit as he explained. "You know how me and Buff met in the States? When Regulus Black was sent to Azkaban..." Ron nodded. "Me and my mum had just settled in LA when Joyce and Buffy were forced to live on the street. That bastard kicked them out because Buffy can do magic and he can't; he didn't even let them take their clothes when he threw them out." 

"I knew he disowned Buffy because she could do magic, but letting his own daughter and wife live on the street?" Ron said, his face filled with horror and disgust. 

"Joyce had moved to the States when she married that bastard. She had no friends, no money, no place to turn to. It was luck that mum recognized her as one of my father's schoolmates in Hogwarts and took them in." The black haired boy shook his head. "It was bad enough that bastard had kicked them out and filed for divorce, when Buffy went looking for him, that bastard hit her! If Joyce and mum hadn't arrived in time to stop him, I really don't know what would have happened to her." 

"That wench!" 

"You know why I need to kill him now?" Xander said as he drew out his wand and headed towards Giles' office, but Ron pulled him back once again. 

"It's not worth, Xander." 

Xander looked at Ron, his eyes filled with resolve as he stood high in front of the redhead Gryffindor. "It's worth it." He said calmly. "For Buffy, it's worth it." 

Ron studied his friend for a moment, and finally nodded. Xander nodded back, turned around, and started matching towards Giles' office. 

But before he took more than three steps, Professor Snape appeared, blocking his way. "Weasley. Harris." He hissed. Behind him stood Filch, an evil smirk on his face. 

The resolve drained away from Xander's eyes with the same speed that the blood drained away from Ron's face. The two stood there, their minds echoed the same word: 'Crap'.

... 

Giles, Joyce, Hank and Dawlish all turned towards the door to the Giles' office as the door finally opened. "Mr. Summers." Mr. Tandy stepped out along with Mr. Scrimgeour. 

Hank took a step forward towards Mr. Tandy. "So?" 

"It is my belief that Mrs. Giles has not breached any law at the time she had re-married and moved here." Giles smiled, and Joyce immediately sighed in relief. "Of course, as Miss Summers' birth father, you will still have your visiting right to your daughter." 

"But... you can't do that! Joyce Skeeter and Rupert Giles are **not** fit to raise my child!" 

Mr. Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow. "If you have any evidence to support your statement, Mr. Summers, I welcome you to report it to my department, or to the United State Department of Magical Affairs. If not, I strongly suggest you to restrain yourself. We do have child protection laws here in England." 

Hank's face immediately flashed with anger. He turned towards Giles and Joyce. "It isn't over." He hissed and stormed away. 

Mr. Tandy shook his head at Hank's retreated form before turned towards Joyce. "You will receive an official letter from my department in fourteen working days." 

"Thank you." 

Mr. Tandy smiled. "Just doing my job." 

"We should go." Mr. Scrimgeour suggested. He nodded at Giles and Joyce, before leaving with Mr. Tandy and Mr. Dawlish. 

Joyce and Giles watched the trio left, and turning towards each other and exchanged a hug. "It's over." Joyce whispered, and frowned when he saw Buffy standing at the doorway, her head dropped, her eyes staring at the floor. "Buffy?" She released Giles and moved closer to Buffy. 

Buffy took a step back before her mother reached her. "Why?" She whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Buffy, I-" 

"We just didn't want you to worry, Buffy." Giles said softly. 

"We are family!" Buffy shouted, and Giles and Joyce took a step back at their daughter's outburst. "How could you! What if he did manage to get the custody? Huh? Have you thought about that! 

"Buffy-" 

"I don't-" Buffy shook her head. "You should have told me." She whispered, before quickly ran passed her parents and disappeared down the corridor, leaving the two adults standing there in desperation.

... 

Harry stood in the middle of the office a deep frown on his face. He had met up with Ron and Xander during dinner, and found out that Buffy's birth father came by earlier with someone from the Ministry and American Magical Affairs Department, trying to take the blond witch back to America. Since then, no one had seen Buffy. Ron had reckoned that Buffy was still talking to Professor and Mrs. Giles, but none of them were sure what really had happened... well, except for the fact that Ron and Xander had earned themselves detention for a week for skipping class and wandering around the corridor. 

"Harry?" 

"Ah. Oh. Sorry, Professor." Harry said. 

"Something's bothering you?" Professor Lupin asked. Harry had come by after dinner to practice the spell against Dementors, but it was clear that Harry was troubled by something. 

"I... I was just worrying about Buffy." 

"May be we should try again next week-" 

"But professor! I've got to learn the spell!" Harry said, panicked. "What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again! We need this game if we want to have a shot for the Quidditch Cup!" 

"But you can't even focus, Harry." 

"I am focused! Please, professor. There's only couple of weeks before the match!" 

Professor Lupin studied Harry for a moment. "Alright. But you might want to select another memory. The one you used last week is not strong enough." 

Harry scratched his head and thought hard, and finally decided on using his memory from his first year when Gryffindor had won the House Championship. He stood, and tightened his wand. 

Lupin smiled when he saw the resolve in Harry's eyes. Slowly, he moved towards the trunk that he had stored the Boggart in. "Ready?" 

"Ready." 

"Go!" Lupin pulled off the lid, and the Boggart/Dementor appeared, slowly floating towards Harry. 

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled as silver cloud appeared at the tip of the wand, even though it didn't seem to have any affect on the Boggart/Dementor. "Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat-" Just as last week, everything went black again. 

_ "HARRY!" _

"Lily! Take Harry and go!" 

"NO!" 

... 

"Hide!" Willow quickly ordered her house-elf Buffy when she heard the portrait hole to her room slide opened. She looked up, and found a familiar figure entering her room. "Madam Pomfrey?" 

"Oh good. You're awake." Madam Pomfrey smiled and stepped into her room. "How are you feeling?" She asked, putting the tray on the nightstand. 

"Sore." 

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "It is to be expected." She said as she checking on the wound. "It should heal in a day or two. In the mean time, get a lot of bed rest." 

"But... school! We've got assignments to hand in, a-and school!" 

Madam Pomfrey frowned. "Has no one told you yet?" 

"Told me what?" 

"The Ministry has ordered a house arrest. You are not to be allowed to have contact with any other student or leave this room until the attacker has been caught." 

"Wha-" Willow blinked, her jaw dropped. "What!"

... 

* * *


	22. Part 22

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 22**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Sorry it took so long to update... again. This semester is super busy and with other stuff I've been working on Blood Ties didn't get as much time as I would like. Plus, I've been re-planning and writing parts of the ending of Blood Ties, including this one... so the update will probably be a lot slower these couple of months. Anyways, Tell me what you think?**   
Note 2: **Thx JOAHN for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

Harry pushed himself up from the floor, and Professor Lupin didn't bother to explain to the young wizard that he had passed out as the professor offered him chocolate. He smiled softly when he saw the disappointment on Harry's face. "You're expecting too much from yourself, Harry." He offered kindly. 

"But I still cannot hold back the Boggart... I still pass out. What if it happens again in the match?" 

"Harry, this is only the second week. For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a **huge** achievement. Believe me." Harry stared at the professor and sighed. "Are you ready to try it again?" The professor held his hand towards Harry. 

Harry, without a second thought, accepted the hand from the professor and stood. He held his wand tightly; resolve once again appeared on his young face. "I'm ready."

... 

"Professor Dumbledore!" Willow jumped out from her bed and ran towards her guidance as he stepped into her room. "Professor! I can't miss classes! I can't-" 

"Willow." The headmaster slowly led the youngster towards the bed and sat down, indicated the redhead to do the same. "How are you?" He asked as Willow sat down beside him. 

Willow couldn't help but gave the headmaster a dirty look. "Professor, you're about to tell me that I'm not allowed to go to class. What do you think?" She said, resentment written all over her face. 

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "This is out of my hands, Willow. There are too many other students to consider. The Minister had refused to budge on the subject, saying that as long as you are in Hogwarts other students will be in grave danger." 

Willow studied the face of the headmaster, noticing for the first time just how tired the headmaster had looked, and couldn't help but feeling a bit guilty about the tone she had used earlier. "What... what's going to happen?" 

"Tomorrow someone from the Ministry shall come by and take you to the Malfoy's mansion." Professor Dumbledore answered. "Mr. Malfoy had insisted you stay with him, at least until the Ministry has caught the attacker and see fit to let you come back to Hogwarts." 

"But what if... what if they never catch that guy?" 

The headmaster did not answer, but watching sadly as the redhead covered her face with her hands and started sobbing quietly.

... 

Harry was dragging his tired body towards the Gryffindor dormitory when he heard soft sobbing echoing in the air. Out of curiosity, he followed the sound, and found himself standing in front of the girl's lavatory. 

"Hello?" Harry knocked on the door and waited. When he got no response, the Gryffindor slowly pushed open the door and peeked inside. At the corner of the lavatory, a familiar figure curved up into a ball as its hands holding its legs tightly. "Buffy?" 

Buffy looked up, and quickly dried the tears on her cheeks with her sleeve. "Harry?" 

"Are you alright?" Harry asked attentively as he kneeled beside his friend. "I heard about your birth father-" 

"He is **not** my anything." Buffy hissed before jumping up and stormed towards the exit. Harry quickly followed and reached for Buffy's arm, pulling her back. Buffy spun, staring at Harry as tears fell again. "He is not." She whispered, before moving forward and hugged Harry tightly. 

Harry blinked for a moment as he found Buffy's head burred into his shoulder, sobbing. Slowly, he put his arms around his friend, giving the young blond some comfort as she wept out her sorrow.

... 

Xander and Ron were heading back towards the Gryffindor dormitory from detention when they saw Harry walking towards the same direction not far ahead from them. "Ha-" But before Ron could call out, Harry turned around the corner towards the opposite direction from the dormitory. "Where's he going?" 

"Don't know." Xander answered and quickly ran after Harry. Not long after, he found himself standing in front of the girl's lavatory; soft whispers could be heard from where he was standing, but the black haired boy could not make out the words. 

Curiosity had gotten the better of the black haired Gryffindor. He pushed opened the door and peeked, just in time to see Buffy falling into Harry's arms. He stared at them for a moment, before taking a step back and let the door closed quietly. 

Ron finally caught up with Xander. "Hey where's-" 

"Let's go." Xander ordered as he started pulling the confused redhead back towards the dormitory.

... 

Willow sat at the edge of the bed, her head dropped as warm sun shinning through the window hit her; an air of desperation surrounded he young redhead, and Buffy the house-elf could do nothing but watching quietly as her master crying her eyes out for whole night. 

After a moment, Willow dried her tears and looked up at her house-elf. "You better go. They will be here soon." 

The house-elf nodded, her small hand touching the redhead's shoulder softly, offering the young girl a small comfort that the wizarding world seemed to be lack of before disappeared with a flash. 

Just as Buffy had disappeared, the portrait hole opened. Willow turned towards the entrance, and found Professor Dumbledore entering with Mr. Shacklebolt and another man that she could not recognize. The man was around forty years old, with curly gray hair and slight beard, wearing a simple black Oxford shirt, jeans, and deep brown leather jacket. Willow shuddered under the man's chilly gaze, even though his eyes were hidden behind his black sun glasses. 

"Miss Slytherin." Willow turned towards Mr. Shacklebolt. "This is Mr. Daniel Holtz from the Ministry of Magic." He introduced. "He will accompany us to Malfoy Mansion." 

"Mr. Holtz." Willow greeted Holtz, but the man did not bother to answer. 

Mr. Shacklebolt cleared his throat when he saw the discomfort on the redhead's face. "Come, Miss Slytherin. The Ministry has already set up a portkey." 

Willow nodded, and turned towards her phoenix. "Bennu." She ordered, and the phoenix flew towards her and landed onto the redhead's shoulder. 

"The bird will be traveling alone." Holtz suddenly voiced. Dumbledore, Shacklebolt and Willow all turned towards him. "Or, if you wish, to be transported to the Mansion along with the luggage. Also, I will have to ask you to hand in your wand before we leave." 

"Mr. Holtz, I hardly think it is necessary-" 

"The Minister has seen fit to ask me to be in charge of this transportation," Holtz interrupted Mr. Shacklebolt coldly. "And so this will be done in my way, my terms." He then turned towards Willow. "I do not see how you will need your wand, since underage witches and wizards are forbidden to do magic outside school. Your phoenix shall wait for you at Malfoy Mansion." 

Willow turned towards Dumbledore, hoping to receive some support from the headmaster. When she found Dumbledore wasn't even looking at her, instead staring at Holtz, she sighed and handed her wand to Holtz, before ordering Bennu to wait for her at the Malfoy Mansion. 

Holtz took Willow's wand and put it inside the hidden pocket of his leather jacket, before pulling out a small pocket watch and put it on the floor. Willow turned towards Dumbledore. "Goodbye Professor." 

The professor finally snapped out from his attention towards Holtz and turned towards the young redhead. "I will see you soon, Willow." He smiled warmly, even though Willow could feel some unsettling feeling coming from the headmaster. 

"Miss Slytherin." Mr. Shacklebolt called. Willow turned back towards the Auror and nodded. "On three. One. Two. Three." Willow, Shacklebolt and Holtz touched the watch at the same time, and disappeared in a flash of light.

... 

Willow stumbled forward a bit as her legs finally touched something solid. Looking around, she found herself standing in a small courtyard, instead of the Malfoy Mansion where she had spent her first summer since she found out about the wizarding world. "Where-" She halted when she saw Mr. Shacklebolt lying on the ground, unmoving. "Mr. Shacklebolt!" She shouted, trying to reach for the Auror when another figure stepped in front of her. "Mr. Holtz! Mr-" 

"Mr. Shacklebolt will be fine. A bit of headache later, maybe." Holtz smirked, causing Willow to take a step back. "He will wake up soon... well, soon enough for me, not soon enough for you." 

"W-what's going on? Where am I?" 

Holtz ignored Willow's as he slowly took off his sun-glasses. "Do you know how many years I have been searching for you? How many years I have been waiting for this day? When your father was defeated by the boy-who-lived, I was so angry, angry that God let a boy to kill him before me. But fate is a funny thing: I found out your dearest mother had disappeared... and it was then I knew, I knew God had given me a new assignment... you." 

Realization hit the redhead as she took another step back. "You're the one who attacked me before." 

"Aren't you the smart one?" Holtz grinned and started moving towards the redhead. Willow turned around, trying to run away, but the older man grabbed her hair and pulled her back roughly. "Hey now, how are we going to have our big grand finale if the main character is not here?" 

"Let me go!" Willow screamed, struggling against the man. "You freak! Let me go!" 

Holtz laughed and let go of Willow, causing the redhead to stumbled onto the ground. "A child who shares the blood of monster, who does magic with nothing but thoughts... and you're calling me a freak?" Willow rolled onto her back, staring at the man fearfully. "Oh yes. I know all about you, Willow Vodforme Slytherin. For two years I have been studying you, waiting for the right moment..." He smirked. "_'Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God He made man.'_(1) And today, you shall shed your blood for your sin... freak."

... 

* * *

(1) From Bible - Genesis 9:6


	23. Part 23

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 23**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Sorry for taking so long for this update. I'm actually at the airport right now, doing some final editing so i can send for beta-read once i arrived back in Melbourne. So, big thanks for my big sis borrowing her laptop to me (not really borrow cos she probably won't be seeing this laptop for couple of years) cos mine when all boom (well, not 'boom' boom but my laptop cannot be taken out of my house...)**   
Note 2: **Second, I've to thanks for everyone's supports and reviews for this fic, espeically since i updating it so not frequently... so, BIG THANKS!**   
Note 3: **Of course, big big thank you to JOAHN for beta-reading the story! **

* * *

... 

Willow stared fearfully at the man in front of her as she slowly crawled backwards. "Is that fear I detect from you, freak?" Hotlz asked, satisfied from the horror that had displayed on the youngster's face. "I would have thought that people like you do not know fear... such a disappointment." 

"W-why?" 

"Why? A meaningless question, coming from a freak, that why should they be killed. Should you not ask why we should let you live? Why a monster like you should be allowed to have a future when my innocent wife and daughter died for nothing?" Holtz asked, his tone unnaturally light and with a hint of confusion, as if asking a simple calculation, sending cold chill down Willow's spin. The older man took a deep breath, his arms opened wide and his eyes closed. "Can you smell it? The smell of justice..." 

Willow was about to snort, to scream, to shout at this madman, but she bit her lips from any comeback, and took the chance as she pushed herself up and started running away. But before she could put much of a distance between herself and Holtz, she heard two loud bangs, and the next thing she knew was her face hit the ground, burning pain at the back of her right leg. She looked down, and found blood oozing out from the wound behind her leg. 

"You're even more stupid than I have expected." Willow looked up and found Hotlz slowly moved towards her, a gun in hand. "Did you honestly think I'll just let you run away like that? After years of planning?" 

"I did nothing..." 

"You don't have to. Your **existence** has been a mistake from the start, and I will correct it." Holtz then pointed his gun at Willow. 

Willow held up her hand instantly. "DEFENDO!" She shouted and waited. And waited. Hotlz looked at her with amusement as the young redhead retreated her hands, stared at them for a second, shaking them, and held it up again. "Defendo!" 

Hotlz opened fire, and the bullet hit her left leg this time. Willow screamed. "Told you to smell the justice... anti-magic spells are so hard to find, you probably couldn't find it anywhere in Diagon Alley. Curiously enough, I did not only managed to find one in an old muggle book store... one of the main ingredients is actually a common muggle incense stick? Ironic, don't you think? To have you bound by muggle magic, to have you killed by a muggle weapon. I wonder-" Holtz halted and spun when he heard a growl from behind him. Willow looked over, and found Shacklebolt slowly pushing himself up. "Shacklebolt." His face darkened, and his gun instantly pointed at him. 

"Stop this madness, Holtz." Shacklebolt said, his eyes focusing on the man in front of him. "I know how much you loved your wife and daughter, but it's not worth it." 

"I'm just doing God's work. Do not try to stop me, Shacklebolt. I wish no harm on you, but I will not allow anyone standing in my way." 

Shacklebolt took another step forward. "Holtz-" 

Another gunshot echoed the courtyard, and Shackletbolt fell onto the ground, his hand holding onto his left shoulder as blood spread through his shirt. "Only a wizard would be foolish enough to walk towards a man pointing a loaded gun." Holtz shook his head in amusement before turning back towards Willow. "Now, where were we?" 

Willow lay on her side, holding her two legs as she stared at Holtz through her blurred eyes. 

Holtz studied her for a moment, amusement never erased from his face. "Do you know in some countries muggles will slash the tendons of the back legs of cattle so they can't run away before being slaughtered? They said it's cruelty, I say they're just animals." He opened fire and shot Willow in her shoulder. Willow cried out. "Their deaths mean nothing but a meal. Be thankful for your own death, freak. Yours does not mark as a meal, but a beginning: beginning of God's justice." 

Holtz pointed his gun at Willow's head. Willow closed her eyes, waiting for the gunshot, but it never came. Instead, when she opened her eyes, Holtz was spread on the ground with Shacklebolt on top of him, the gun dropped from Hotlz's hand and landed in front of Willow. Ignoring the black spots that were spreading in front of her, Willow crawled towards the gun, and picked it up. 

Holtz rolled over and pushed Shacklebolt away. "You are beginning to irritate me, Shacklebolt." He jumped up and delivered several kicks at the man's head, knocking him out. "No one can stop God's will." 

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Holtz looked down at his shirt, and found wetness on it. He pressed his palms against his chest, and stared at the blood covering them. Slowly, he turned towards the pale redhead behind him, the same redhead who was now holding his gun. 

**BANG! BANG!**

Holtz looked down at his bloody chest again, before focusing on the redhead, who kept pulling the trigger even if there was no bullet left. "See you in hell..." He then fell, lying motionless on the dirt. 

Willow stopped pulling the trigger, her hands let go a bit of the gun and let it dropped onto the ground. She stared at the body in front of her for a moment. "I'm Jewish, stupid." She whispered, her shaky voice betrayed the bravado of her words, before falling into unconsciousness. 

And it was how Giles and Snape found them minutes later, the girl and the man lying unconscious on the courtyard of Daniel Holtz's house, and the body of Holtz lying in the pool of his own blood.

... 

Harry sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he smiled at Xander who just walked into the dormitory room they shared, his hands holding his toothbrush and towel. "Good morning Ron. Good morning Xander." 

"Good morning." Ron yawned from his bed. 

Xander eyed Harry for a second, his face un-readable. "Good morning." He offered and reached for the bag at the end of his bed. "I'll see you later." He told Ron quietly before leaving without another word. 

Ron blinked at the door closed behind Xander for a moment. "What's that all about?" He asked Harry. 

Harry shrugged with a deep frown on his young face.

... 

"Hi guys!" Harry and Ron reached their usual spots in the Great Hall when they were greeted by Buffy and Hermione. Xander, on the other hand, stared hard at the food in front of him without sparing a glance at the newcomers. 

Ron quickly sat beside Xander, not noticing the rather usual behavior of the usually goofy Gryffindor, and started digging into his food. Harry frowned at Xander again, when Buffy suddenly stood and gave him a quickly hug. "Thanks." 

Harry turned towards Buffy and cocked his head. "What for?" 

"You know... last night..." 

"Oh." Harry smiled warmly at his friend. "No problem." 

Harry and Buffy were about to sit down when Draco's voice carried through out the Hall. "Got yourself another girlfriend, Potter?" He smirked. "Didn't know you had a thing for bunny." The Slytherins laughed. 

"Shut up, Malfoy!" The blond Gryffindor shouted, even though her cheek turned crimson. 

And what happened then was something that no one could even imagine. Xander, who had been quiet for the whole morning, suddenly jumped out of stool, drawing out his wand, and pointed at Draco. "Sil- Silen- Grr!" He growled at his own failure of recalling the silencing spell. "Just **ZIP IT**!" He ordered. To everyone - including Xander's - horror, Draco's lips transformed itself into zipper - tightly shut zipper. 

"Holy crap!" Dawn, who was sitting opposite to Draco, was the first to react. She jumped out of her stool and back away, which the action was quickly followed by her fellow Slytherins. 

Draco, in panic, tried to open the zipper - only to hurt himself as blood started spilling out through the zips. He tried to scream, but his voice was muffed by the shut zipper. 

Professor McGonagall, who finally gotten over her shock, quickly took charge. "Quiet!" She ordered, moving towards Draco and started pulling him out towards the hospital wing. Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson quickly followed. 

When the professor and the group of Slytherins finally left, everyone turned their attention towards Xander, only to find the boy had already disappeared from the Great Hall.

... 

* * *


	24. Part 24

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 24**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Big thank you to ****Joahn** for beta-reading and making sure the story won't go to heck:)

* * *

... 

"What have I done..." 

Dawn stopped, staring at Xander's back as he sat at the edge of the lake outside the castle. She had watched the Gryffindor ran out of the Grant Hall, and against her better judgment, she decided to follow him. 

"I could have killed him..." 

"You didn't." Xander turned and jumped onto his feet, somehow surprised it was a Slytherin who was now beside him. "Besides, everyone wants to hurt Malfoy... except Pansy, maybe." 

"You don't understand! You're a Slytherin-" 

"Slytherins aren't like this, Slytherins won't understand that." Dawn rolled her eyes and snorted. "What's not to understand? You're scared, because you are afraid that you will become your father, aren't you? Using magic to kill people." Dawn continued before he could shout at her again. "Just because your father used an unforgivable spell to murder people and got himself into Azkaban doesn't mean you're a criminal too. Besides, tell me something: would you feel better if you hit him with your fist instead of using magic? Would you still be this scared, even if you hit him hard enough to break his teeth or split his lip?" 

Xander opened and closed his mouth couple of times. "Probably not." He admitted. 

"There you go. Besides, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey's gonna fix him up in no time, and we're all gonna have to see his ugly face again." 

The black haired boy looked at Dawn with disbelieve. "You don't like him? But... he's a Slytherin!" 

"So? There are no rules saying that I have to like him just because we share the same house. Honestly, Harris, please don't see me as one of them. This is totally an insult." 

"But you guys are evil!" 

"Again, with the insult. Not all Slytherins are Malfoy wannabes. You simply don't know us because we don't go out and look for trouble. I mean, if you label us as evil 'cos we have a Malfoy in our house, shouldn't Gryffindors be labeled as troublemakers?" 

"Hey!" 

"Hey what? Everyone knows that you guys are trouble makers." 

"This is not fair! It's not like Harry goes out and looks for trouble." 

"I didn't say Potter." The brunette raised an eyebrow. "And now you know how we felt." 

"Still..." 

"Dawn!" 

Dawn and Xander turned around, and found a redhead standing at the entrance of the castle, waving at them. "Ginny?" 

"Crap! I totally forgot!" Dawn jumped onto her feet. "We were supposed to meet after breakfast." 

"You two are friends?" 

"What? Only Willow can be friends with Gryffindors?" Dawn, for the second time, rolled her eyes at Xander. She walked towards her friend, but halted and turned around. "I know you don't like Willow..." Xander opened his month, but stopped as he knew she was telling the truth. "But if there's only one in this world who can understand how you feel... that would be her. Think about it?" She flashed Xander a smile before joggling away, leaving the black haired boy with his thoughts.

... 

Harry walked down the corridor, looking around, trying to locate his friend. The gang had gone looking for Xander after he had disappeared. Harry himself did not feel sorry for Malfoy, but he could understand why Xander had freaked. A spell like that was not something you would normally see in the wizarding world. 

The boy who lived turned around the corner, and did a double take when he saw Professor Giles stepping out of the hospital wing, looking rather worried. "Professor Giles?" 

Giles was about to close the door to hospital wing when he saw the black haired Gryffindor. "Harry?" 

"Are you-" Harry peeked over Giles' shoulder, just in time to see the familiar figure on the hospital bed that was surrounded by groups of people before the door was closed shut. "Willow!" 

"Harry no!" Giles quickly grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him away from the hospital wing before he could get into the room. 

"She's hurt! I have to go to her!" Harry shouted as he trying desperately to free himself from Giles. 

"Harry Potter!" Giles ordered in a hash voice that Harry had never heard from the history professor. "You will bloody well to listen to me. The people from the Ministry are still in there, not to mention the Minster; what must they think if you just bugger in!" 

"I don't care!" 

"You should!" Giles growled, but softened a bit when he saw the look on Harry's face. "There is no room to debate, Harry. Besides, if you go in there now, you will only be a distraction to Madam Pomfrey." 

"But Professor... I can't... It's Willow!" 

"I figured that much." He shook his head and reached for under his robe and pulled out a small object, before handing it to Harry. The boy-who-lived's hands started shaking when he saw the object: a blood stained silver ring matching to the one he had on his right hand.

... 

"It was just about a month before You-Know-Who was defeated." Giles said, looking at Harry meaningfully as he sat on the arm chair in his office. He had literally pulled Harry into the office, away from the hospital wing and more importantly, away from prying eyes. "Holtz was a hit wizard in training at the time." 

"A hit wizard, sir?" 

"A special squad serves under the Department of Magic Law Enforcement. Their main job is to capture dangerous criminals - wizarding criminals, of course. It was the last night before Holtz graduated from the training when You-Know-Who attacked his house and murdered his family." 

"But why? Why did Voldemort..." 

Giles did not even flinch at the name, instead taking off his glasses and started polishing it. "No one knows for sure, though I suspect it might have something to do with Holtz enrolling his daughter into a muggle pre-school." He said. "No one saw Holtz until about two years ago when he joined the Ministry." 

Harry frowned. "When Willow came to the wizarding world." 

"I would have imagined so, yes." 

"Then why didn't any of you do something before, if you all know Holtz has a reason to hurt Willow?" 

"Harry, you have to understand: there are many who support You-Know-Who, and even more who hate him, wanting to hurt him in anyway possible. There is no way we could have predicted who and when someone might attack Miss Slytherin." The professor put on his glasses again. "And if my guess is right, Holtz had been planning it for almost a year, starting from when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban." 

"But Sirius Black is helping Voldemort..." 

"As long as Miss Slytherin was on Hogwarts' ground, Holtz did not have much opportunity to attack her. When Black escaped, the Ministry would have to place heavy guard on Hogwarts to protect you, Harry. It gave him, as a person in the Ministry, a perfect excuse to roam around the Hogwarts grounds" 

Harry absorbed the new information with a frown. "He is the one who attacked Willow at the Quidditch match." 

"Indeed. The attack itself was not meant to kill Miss Slytherin, instead giving the Ministry an opportunity to remove Miss Slytherin from Dumbledore's guidance. From what I have seen at the location where Miss Slytherin was attacked, I believe it had been Holtz's plan all along, to bring her there to..." 

"To kil her." 

"And I am not about to ask you not to see her again. But do understand, Harry, the Minister does not trust Miss Slytherin; and with your state of publicity, if he knows how close you two are he will not hesitate to remove Miss Slytherin permanently from Hogwarts. Not to mention how those who support and opposite You-Know-Who may react if this becomes a common knowledge." 

Harry sighed, nodding quietly as he stared down at the bloody ring.

... 

"Oops!" Harry was about to step into the classroom for his morning class when he found himself being pulled away from the door. "What the- Xander? We've been looking for you-" 

"I need to talk to you." 

Harry frowned. "But the class-" 

"I don't care about the class." Xander growled. "I need to know what you want with Buffy." 

"Buffy? What are you talking about?" 

"Don't play dumb with me, Harry. I saw you with her yesterday night." 

"Yesterday? I was just trying to comfort her-" 

"I thought you were with Slytherin. How could-" Paused. "Wait. Comforting?" 

"She was crying, and I was just trying to help." 

Blink. "Oh." 

Harry frowned for a moment. "Xander, you don't think that Buffy and I..." Seeing the look on Xander's face, Harry was somehow mortified. "I like Buffy as a friend, nothing more." 

"It may not be what Buffy was thinking, Harry." Xander sighed. "Look, she fancies you-" 

"WHAT!" 

"Just... let her down nicely, 'kay?" 

"You're mental." Harry said as he matched into the classroom, not noticing Buffy who was just hiding around the corner.

... 

Xander was just stepping out of the classroom when he felt a fist connected to his jaw. Looking up, he found Buffy standing over him, staring at him angrily. "HEY!" He said, rubbing his jaw. 

"What the hell did you tell him that for?" 

"Him?" Xander stood when the realization finally hit him. "Harry?" 

"Who I like is none of your business!" 

"It used to be." The black haired boy said quietly. "Look, I'm just trying to watch out for you-" 

Buffy looked at Xander as if he had grown a second head. "Watching out for me? You?" She snorted. "Why don't you just mind your own before putting your nose into other people's business?" She was about to walk away when Xander's voice stopped her. 

"Harry has Slytherin, Buffy. He only sees you as a friend." 

"I know that. And Willow is my friend. I would never do that to her." Buffy answered quietly, before turning around and rolled her eyes at Xander. "Besides, Harry is not the only one I like. Are you going to go and talk to every single one of them?" 

Xander stared at Buffy for a second. "What?" Buffy rolled her eyes again, and started moving back towards the dormitory. "Hey! You're not allowed to have secrets!" The black haired boy immediately followed the blond, and the two childhood friends laughed as they walked down the corridors.

... 

* * *


	25. Part 25

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 25**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks for everyone's reviews. Hope you guys will like this part too. :) **   
Note 2: **Huge huge thank you to Joahn for beta reading the story!**

* * *

... 

Xander pulled Harry to the side again before dinner, telling him that he had made a mistake and Harry should just forget what he had said. Harry did not care though, just as he did not care the tension that still existed between Hermione and Ron since the Firebolt was taken away by Professor McGonagall - at least not at the moment. Right now, all he could think about was Willow, the redhead who was now lying on the bed in the hospital wing. 

Despite Giles' reassurance of Willow's safety, claiming that it would not be wise for Harry to see Willow until at least the people from Ministry had left, the Boy-Who-Lived could not wait that long. That was the reason why he was now covered by his father's Invisibility Cloak, making his way towards the hospital wing. 

Reaching the corridor that was leading to the hospital wing, Harry halted when he saw Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape walking in his direction. "Does the Minister still wishes to impose a house arrest on Slytherin?" 

"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "Now that the attacker has been killed, the Minister has no ground what so ever to stop her from taking classes." He paused and turned towards Harry's direction, causing the young Gryffindor to hold his breath. "He did require that Willow not leave the hospital wing or have any contact with other students until the Ministry can be sure that Holtz had no accompanist." 

"May I be so bold, headmaster: the Minister has no real concern on Slytherin's safety, only to make sure that he does not get the blame; it was been the Minister who assigned Holtz to be in charge of Slytherin's transportation, despite knowing that it was You-Know-Who who murdered Holtz's whole family, giving him an opportunity to attack Slytherin. If we had not insisted Shacklebolt to go with them..." 

"The most important thing is that Willow is safe now." Dumbledore said, and resumed walking as he move passed Harry. "The Auror that is supposed to guard the hospital wing has already left, and the Ministry should be able to clear everything up by Friday. I do hope someone will remember to bring Willow the schoolwork she has missed though; you know how she loves her studies." 

The Potions Master sent the headmaster a confused look but said nothing, instead following him down the corridor towards the other side of the castle.

... 

Harry quietly opened the door, and slipped inside. There was no one in the room except a figure lying on the bed at the far end. Looking around to make sure that there was no one in the room, he closed the door, uncovered himself from the Invisibility Cloak, and made his way towards the figure. 

Willow was lying on the bed, and even from afar, Harry could see the tension all over her face. When he was about three steps away from the redhead, a pop could be heard in the quiet room, and a house-elf suddenly appeared in front of the black haired boy. "You shall not harm my mistress!" 

To say Harry was surprised was an understatement. "Wh-" Before he could get a word out, bright light flashed from the fingertip of the house-elf, and a sheet of thin ice covered the youngster from head to toe, freezing him on the spot.

... 

_ "... a mistake..." _

"... freak..." 

"... kill you..." 

"... bargaining chip..." 

"MURDERER!" 

Willow's eyes shot open. Slowly, she blinked, trying to clear her blurry eyes as she turned her head a bit. She blinked again when she saw two figures not far away. It was Buffy the house-elf and... "Harry?" 

"Mistress!" Buffy stared at Willow with her wide hazel eyes. "You're awake!" She squealed, jumped onto the bed, and gave the redhead a super-bear hug. 

"Eepp!" Willow's squeal matched the one from the house-elf earlier when she found herself being hugged in a way that seemed to be targeting on squeezing all the air out of her lung. "Buffy? O-oxygen becoming an issue." 

Buffy looked up but did not let go of the redhead. "O-C-jump?" She blinked in confusion. 

"A-air." 

"Oh!" The house-elf immediately let go of Willow and jumped off the bed. "I'm so sorry, Mistress! Please forgive me-" 

"It's okay, Buffy. And please don't call me Mistress." Willow pushed herself up, ignoring the pain on her legs and turned towards the black haired Gryffindor. "Har- Harry?" She frowned in confusion when Harry did not reply. "Harry?" 

"This is your friend, Mis- Miss Willow?" 

Willow narrowed her eyes at the rather sheepish look on the house-elf face. "What did you do?" 

Buffy squealed again, and waved her hand. Immediately, Harry blinked. "What the-" 

"Harry?" 

"Willow?" Harry looked at the redhead, and then back at the house-elf. "You!" He pulled out his wand and pointed at Buffy, and the house-elf immediately ran to hide behind Willow. 

"Harry! It's okay!" Willow called out before the Gryffindor could start attacking Buffy. "Buffy won't do that again, will you Buffy?" 

Buffy looked at Willow, then back at Harry, and nodded. Her hazel eyes shinning with such tears and remorse that it had caused Harry to do a double take. "I'm sorry, Master Harry. I though you were going to hurt Mistress." 

"Mistress?" 

"She means **Miss** **Willow**." Willow sent a look at Buffy before turning back towards Harry. "She is my house-elf, Harry." 

Harry thought for a moment. "From your mother's family?" Willow nodded. "Oh... okay. So..." He sat on the chair next to Willow's bed. "How are you?" 

"Okay. The legs hurt a bit... but I think I'll be fine." The redhead then looked out of the window, then back to Harry. "Hey, isn't it already passed curfew?" 

"Yeah. I just wanted to see you..." Harry blushed. "Is that okay?" 

It was Willow's turn to blush. "More than okay." She whispered. 

Harry slowly reached for the pale hand on top of the blanket, and held it in his own. "Professor Giles gave it to me earlier." He held out his other hand, showing the ring in his palm. 

"My Claddagh ring!" 

"He was worried that the Ministry might see it." Harry explained. "Can I..." 

Willow's face was as red as her hair as she nodded. Harry held up Willow's right hand, and put the ring back on the redhead's figure. "Thank you." Willow whispered, and the Gryffindor and Slytherin stared at each other, their hands connected. 

Their moment, however, was quickly ended as Buffy asked, "Miss Willow, are you sick? Your face is all red." 

Harry quickly let go of the hand, even though a huge grin appeared on his face, as was Willow's. "I'm fine, Buffy." 

The black haired boy blinked for a second as a question suddenly hit him in the head. He turned towards Buffy, then Willow, then Buffy, then Willow again. "Buffy? Her name is Buffy? A house-elf named Buffy?" He asked, and received a confirm nod from the redhead. 

Harry blinked for couple more seconds, his brain running overdrive trying to process that particular information. He once again turned towards the house-elf, staring at her rather small frame and big hazel eyes. 

He giggled. 

Loudly.

... 

Buffy jumped onto her bed, her head buried into her pillow as she sighed. Turning around, she stared at the ceiling, her mind half wondering about the conversation she had with Xander this morning. 

Suddenly, an owl flew above the blonde's face, and landed the young Gryffindor a small jewelry box along with a letter - right onto her nose. "Ouch!" She sat up and growled, rubbing her nose as she sent a glare at the owl. "Stupid owl." 

The owl was about to fly out of the window when it suddenly changed direction and went back towards Buffy. This time, the owl did not hand Buffy a letter or a parcel, but its dropping - right on top of Buffy's head. "Hey!" The blond was about to scream, but stopped herself at the last minute as she remembered her sleeping roommates nearby. So instead, she chose to do the second best thing. "Damn-" She halted when the leaving owl changed direction again. "Damn cute! You're so damn cute!" She amended. The owl changed direction for the third time, and flew out of the window, disappeared into the night sky. 

"Damn bird." Buffy cursed when she was sure the owl had left. Looking down at her lap, the blonde picked up the parcel, the droppings on her head temporarily forgotten, and opened it. It was a red gem on a golden necklace. "Oh pretty!" She grinned, setting down the jewelry box, and opened the letter. But the second she spotted the first line of the letter, she sat up, squeezing the letter into a ball, and threw it across the room. 

The young blonde stared at the ball of paper at the far side, her eyes narrowed at it as if daring the ball of paper to jump up and attack her. But after some time, she stood from her bed and marched towards the ball and picked it up. "I'm gonna regret this." She whispered herself, unfolding the paper and started reading.

... 

* * *


	26. Part 26

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 26**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Another update! Yahoo!!! Thanks to Joahn for beta-reading the story!!! And of course, to everyone who review and not minding to wait so long for an update. You guys will have to wait to see what's the deal with the necklace, but I can tell u it's... important! (I'm so evil... hehe...) Anyways, BIG THANKS!!! ;p**

* * *

... 

Buffy sat on the bed, her bloodshot eyes staring hard at the necklace in her hand. She had been doing that for whole night, her mind raging at the letter she had read just a couple hours ago. 

Finally, the blonde sighed. She opened the chain, and put the necklace around her neck. She picked up a mirror from her nightstand, and stared into its reflection. 

"Hey." 

Buffy looked up, and found Hermione sitting up from her bed, rubbing her eyes. Quickly, she put down the mirror, and shoved the necklace under her pjs. "Good morning 'Mione." She looked out the window, and frowned. "Why are you waking up so early? The sun's not even up yet." 

"Got to." Hermione yawned. "I still need to catch up with potions, and the hearing is going to be tomorrow." She looked up at Buffy. "What about you?" 

Buffy shrugged. "Can't sleep." Paused. "Wait. Hearing?" 

"Buckbeak's. Lucius Malfoy had sent an official complaint to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Willow and I have been working together on the defenses since Christmas, but after the attack no students are allowed to see her." 

"Since Christmas?" Buffy frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"We're not exactly on speaking terms, Buffy." 

The blonde Gryffindor stared at the sore look on Hermione's face. "Things got really bad for a while, huh?" 

Hermione sighed. "It doesn't matter." She stood, picking up her toothbrush and towel. "Look. I've really got to go. I didn't get anything done yesterday because Hagrid was too busy crying over the flobberworms." She spotted Buffy's confused expression. "Too much lettuce." She explained. 

Buffy blinked for a second. "Oh." Hermione was about to open the door when the blonde called out. "Can I help?" 

Hermione turned around, her eyes somehow getting brighter. "Are you sure?" 

"Why not?" Buffy stood, and picked up her own freshen kit. "I can even get us some coffee." 

"Thanks." Hermione smiled gratefully. "One thing though." 

"What?" 

"Is that bird droppings in your hair?!"

... 

Harry almost floated down to the Great Hall, huge grin refused to leave his face as he sat down on his usual seat and had his breakfast. Even though he was a bit tried due to the lack of sleep, even that he could still see the tension between Hermione and Ron... he felt like he was on top of the world - all because of that he finally got to see Willow again, got to talk to her, to know that she was finally safe and could go back to classes very soon. 

Sometimes it amused Harry that one girl could bring so much happiness in his life - but then again, Willow was not just 'some girl'; to Harry, she could never be 'just a girl'. 

"Are you alright, Harry?" 

Ron's voice bought the young Gryffindor out of his musing. He looked around, and found half of his housemates were now staring at him. Not that he cared anyway. "Super." Was Harry's final answer. 

Ron frowned and shook his head, half wondering if his friend had finally lost his mind as he dug into his food. Buffy and Hermione, who was sitting opposite to Harry, exchanged a look before turning back to their own breakfast. 

"Look!" Xander whispered and pointed at the entrance of the Grant Hall. 

Everyone followed his figure and found Professor McGonagall moving towards Harry with a broom in hand - more specifically, the Firebolt. Harry immediately stood. "Professor." 

"Mr. Potter." The professor greeted as other students immediately gathered around them, mostly to drool over the broom. "I've been looking for you." She handed the broom back to Harry. 

Harry's eyes widened. "I can have it back? Seriously?" 

"Shh!" Wood, who had gone to stand next to Harry when Professor McGonagall appeared, elbowed Harry lightly. "Just take it!" 

"We've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all." The transfiguration admitted. "You've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter." Then a smile appeared on the serious face of McGonagall's. "I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match. And Potter, do try to win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night." 

Harry nodded dumbly, half wondering if he was dreaming as he accepted the Firebolt. 

"Now that you've got the Firebolt, I don't see what's going to stop us now!" Wood said, but then his grin quickly disappeared. "Unless... Harry, you've sorted out your Dementor problem, haven't you?" 

Wood's question quickly bought Harry out of his dream. "Yeah." Harry answered, even though he wasn't as sure as he had sounded. 

"The Dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic." Ron assured. "Nimbus 2001 is a laugh compared to Firebolt. We're going to win the Quidditch cup for sure!" 

Harry smiled even if a small trace frown could be spotted on his face.

... 

_ "... a mistake..." _

"... freak..." 

"... kill you..." 

"... bargaining chip..." 

"MURDERER!" 

Willow's eyes shot open, but were immediately forced to close it as the sunlight hit her without mercy. The redhead blinked several times until she could feel the sunlight dimmed through her eyelids, and opened her eyes again - and found Professor Dumbledore standing there, closing the bind on the window above her. "Professor?" 

The professor looked down at her and smiled. "How are you, Willow?" 

"Okay." The redhead said and tried to sit up, winced at the pain in her legs. "I think." She looked up. "How's Mr. Shacklebolt?" 

"The bullet passed through his shoulder. He should be fine in a day or two." The headmaster studied the redhead for a moment. "We did not have a chance to talk yesterday. Mr. Shacklebolt told the Minister that he had to shoot Holtz to defend himself." 

It did not take long for Willow to process the information, and the meaning behind it. "The Ministry will take me away if they know it was me, won't they?" She looked away sadly. "You should have let them take me away." 

"Do you wish to leave?" 

Willow shook her head. 

"Curious thing about healing." Dumbledore commented quietly. "As painful as it is, as slow as it can be, the wounds will finally heal one day." The older man then left the hospital wing without another word. 

Willow watched as her guidance disappeared from behind the door, before turning her attention towards the ceiling, one question echoed inside her head. 

"Will it?"

... 

"Are you sure you still want to try, Harry?" Professor Lupin asked. 

Harry had come for another session of the 'Expecto Patronum' class. Even if he no longer fainted whenever he faced a Dementor, he could not protect himself from one either. Picking himself up from the ground, he shook his head, trying to get over the sudden tiredness that had come over him whenever he was near a Dementor. "I need to learn how to do it before the match on Saturday, Professor." 

"Very well." Professor Lupin nodded. "Try think of another memory and see if it will be stronger?" 

Harry nodded, and closed his eyes, scratching his brain for another memory. It didn't take too long for him to find one. "I'm ready." He opened his eyes and pointed his wand at the closest. 

"Okay. One. Two. Three." 

The professor opened the closest, and the Dementor stepped out of it. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, his mind focused on nothing except the memory he had chosen. 

Bright silver light appeared from the tip of his wand, and quickly, it expanded, transforming itself into some kind of shield as it blocked the Boggart/Dementor from the boy. The grin on Professor Lupin's face could not get bigger as he watched Harry's magic forcing the Dementor away. Finally, he opened the closest and let the Boggart into safety. "Well done, Harry!" He smiled at his student who was now leaning against the wall, looking exhausted but happy. "Well done!" 

"Thanks professor." 

"It must be a powerful memory." 

"It is." Harry said, and looked down at the ring on his figure. "It is."

... 

Harry sat on his bed, the excitement of successfully performing the Expecto Patronum spell ran through his vain, refused to let him sleep. He had went to the hospital to visit Willow earlier, but Madam Pomfrey had given the redhead sleeping potion tonight as the she could not have a good night's rest due to the pain... at least that was what Buffy the house-elf had informed him. 

Harry pushed himself up from the bed and looked around. His other roommates had all fallen asleep, and from the rather loud snort coming from Xander, it was a very deep sleep. Feeling rather bored, Harry took out the Marauder's Map from the drawer in his nightstand. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." He whispered, his wand pointing at it. Immediately, the map of Hogwarts appeared, and the black hair boy studied the map as he took out a piece of chocolate and started chewing. 

Harry's eyes stopped as they reached the hospital wing, a dot that was moving on the map causing the black haired boy to hold his breath. It seemed to be hovering over just outside the hospital wing for a moment, before quickly moved away as Flitch appeared at the other end of the corridor. It wasn't the reason why Harry had stared at the dot though; it was the name that followed the moving object. 

_Peter Pettigrew_

... 

* * *


	27. Part 27

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 27**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks for everyone's reviews! Sorry that it takes a bit longer than expected to update. I've just move to a new apartment and internet connection has been a bit of problem (ie. non exist), and I'm too freaking lazy to copy & paste the other two parts that Joahn (THANKS!) beta-read for me... so here's one update first. I'll update the other two once I get my ass back to work... Thanks again!**   
Note 2: **To everyone who's wondering about what the heck happens to Buffy and Hank, the answer will be coming in later parts, so HANG ON!!! ;p**

* * *

... 

Harry ran down the corridor, the beam of light coming from the tip of his wand barely enough for Harry to follow the rapid moving dot on the map. Rounding the corner, he stopped and looked down at the map again. 

The moving dot was heading straight towards him. 

Harry held up his wand, swallowed nervously, waiting, not knowing what to expect to see the man that was supposed to have died protecting his parents. He looked down at the map again. 

The dot was ten feet from him. 

Eight feet. 

Five feet. 

Two. 

One. 

Harry looked around. "AHHHHH!" He screamed as he saw a face looking right back at him. He blinked, and found he had just screamed at his own reflection on the mirror. 

Looking down at the map, he saw the dot moving right past him, and continuing down the corridor. He turned around, trying desperately to find the man he was seeking, only to be greeted by a pitch of darkness. He looked down at the map again. Peter Pettigrew was leaving the corridor. 

It was then he spotted another dot on the map. Severus Snape. Just around the corner. 

Harry looked around in panic. "Mischief managed." He whispered and pointed at the map with his wand, before quickly shaking it. "Nox." 

It was just a second later when the light from the tip of his wand disappeared that another light appeared right in front of his face. "Potter." Snape sneered. "What're you doing, wandering the corridors at night?" 

"I was..." Harry swallowed. "I was... sleepwalking." 

"How extraordinarily like your father, Potter. He too was exceedingly arrogant. Strutting about the castle-" 

"My dad didn't **strut**, nor do I." Harry growled. "Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate you lowering your wand." 

Snape narrowed his eyes, and lowered the wand, pointing at Harry's sweater's pocket. "Turn out your pockets." Harry glared back at him. "Turn. Out. Your. Pockets." The young boy glared at Snape for couple more seconds before reaching into the pocket and pulled out the Marauder's Map. "And what might it be?" 

"Spare bit of parchment." 

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He pointed his wand at the parchment. "Revive your secret!" Words slowly appeared on the parchment. "Read it." 

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs offer their compliments to Professor Snape and..." 

"Go on." 

The black haired boy looked up and glared at the professor. "And request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business." 

"Why you insolent little-" 

"Professor?" 

Harry and Professor Snape turned around, and found Professor Lupin standing there, watching them with curiosity. 

"Well, well, Lupin. Out for a little walk in the **moonlight**, are we?" 

The other professor did not response, instead turning towards Harry with a smile. "Harry, are you all right?" 

"That remains to be seen." The Potion Master snatched the parchment away from Harry and handed it to Lupin. "I've just confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr. Potter. Take a look, Lupin. This is supposed to be your area of expertise." He nodded at the parchment that was now in Lupin's hands. "Clearly, it's full of Dark Magic-" 

Professor Lupin laughed. "I seriously doubt that, Severus. It looks to me as if merely insults anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product." Snape was about to take it back when Lupin held the parchment away from him. "**Nevertheless**, I shall pursue any hidden qualities it may possess. As you said, it's **my** area of expertise." He turned and nodded at the black haired boy. "Harry, would you come with me?" 

Harry glared at Professor Snape for a second, before quickly following the other professor down the corridor, leaving the fuming Potion Master standing there, snarling.

... 

Harry quietly followed Professor Lupin into his office, not dared to look up as the professor turned around and stared at him. "I don't know how this map came into your possession, Harry, but I'm **astounded** that you didn't hand it in. Did you ever stop to think that this, in the hands of Sirius Black," he held up the parchment. "Is a map to you?" 

Harry stared at the floor, ashamed. 

"You father did not set much store by rules either, but he and your mother gave their lives to save yours. Gambling their sacrifice by walking about the castle unprotected, with a killer on the loose, seems to me a very **poor** way to repay them!" The professor walked towards his desk and put the map down. "I would not cover up for you again, Harry." He said. "I want you to return to your room and stay there. **No** detours." He tapped at the map. "I will know." 

Harry nodded, and moved towards the exit. The black haired boy stopped before he reached the door and turned back towards the professor. "Professor, just so you know..." Professor Lupin looked up at him. "I don't think the map is working. Earlier, it showed someone in the castle. Someone I know to be dead." 

Professor Lupin was cleaning up his desk when he heard that. "Who?" He asked half-hearted. 

"Peter Pettigrew." 

The professor froze, and looked up at Harry. "No..." 

Harry did not hear the professor's whisper though. "Just so you know, Professor." He then turned and left the office, not noticing that the professor was still staring at him, his eyes widened as his face went pale.

... 

Harry was following his other Gryffindor Quidditch team-mates towards the Quidditch pitch when he heard someone making shh-ing sounds behind him. He turned around, and found Buffy the house-elf hiding just around the corner. "Guys, I... I left something at the dorm. Why don't you go ahead?" 

Wood turned and looked at him un-amused. "Make it quick Harry. We still need to discuss the strategy." 

Harry nodded, and quickly ran towards the corner where Buffy was hiding, only to find Willow standing there, grinning. "Willow! They let you leave the hospital wing!" 

"Since this morning." Willow grinned back. "I still have to use the crutches though. Madam Pomfrey said it may take another week before my legs heal completely." 

Harry nodded. "So... you're going to the game, right?" 

"Won't miss it." The redhead said. "I just want to wish you good luck." 

"Thanks." 

Willow giggled. "I haven't even said it yet." 

Harry blushed. "Oh. Okay." 

"Good luck." 

"Thanks." 

Harry and Willow stared at each other for a moment, before Willow suddenly leaned in, and placed a quick kiss on Harry's lips. "See you later." She whispered, her face as red as her hair as she skipped away using her crutches. 

The black haired boy's hand slowly reached his lips, touching it lightly. "Wow."

... 

"Wow." 

Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, raised an eyebrow at the seeker as he wowed the seventh time in the past five minutes. "Are you alright, Harry?" 

"Maybe he's cursed." Fred/George said. 

"So cursed." The other twin echoed, shaking his head. 

"Stop saying that!" Katie Bell, the chaser of the team, growled. "C'mon. Let's go." She reached for Harry and tugged his ear, hard, and dragged him out from the locker room towards the pitch. 

Harry reached the pitch, the screams and shouts from other Hogwarts' students finally bought him out from his 'wow' (not to mention the burning pain in his ear). He followed his other team-mates towards the middle of the pitch, and found that the Ravenclaw team was already standing there, waiting. 

"Wood, Davies, shake hands." Madam Hooch ordered, and the two captains shook hands. Harry didn't look at them though, instead staring at the only girl on the other team - seeker Cho Chang. 

"Mount your brooms." 

Harry shook his head a bit, and focused back on the game as Madam Hooch announced the start of game. He kicked off into the air, and started searching for the golden snitch. 

As the game processed, the Gryffindor scored eighty, while the Ravenclaw had yet to score. There were several times Harry spotted the golden snitch, but every time before he could reached for it, Cho Chang would appear in front of him, forcing him to swerve away to avoid collision. 

"HARRY!" The black haired Gryffindor turned a bit, and found Willow standing there, just next to Hermione and Buffy at the back of the stand, waving. He could see Draco at the corner of his eyes, sneering, and couldn't help but felt a huge grin crept onto his face. He nodded at the redhead, before focusing back onto the game. 

The seeker looked around, trying to spot the golden snitch once again. He flew upward, and it didn't take long for him to notice Cho was following him again. Quickly, he turned and dived, and as predicted the Ravenclaw seeker immediately followed his move. He then pulled out of the dive and rose, surprising his opponent with the sudden change of direction. It was then he saw the snitch at the Ravenclaw end of the field not far away. 

Harry accelerated towards the Snitch, and almost reached it when Cho suddenly screamed and pointed at the far end. Harry followed her line of sight, and found three Dementors just below. Without thinking, the black haired boy pulled out his wand and shouted. "Expecto patronum!" Silver white shield erupted from the end of his wand and shot towards the Dementors, but Harry did not stay and watch as he continued forward and stretched out his hand for the Snitch. He caught it, and the match ended. 

When Harry reached the ground, he immediately found himself being surrounded by sea of Gryffindors. He looked around, and found Willow standing at the back with Hermione and Buffy, grinning like a Cheshire cat. The two exchanged a smile, but when Harry was about to walk towards her, Willow shook her head. 'I'll see you later.' She mouthed, before waving goodbye at Buffy and left with Hermione. 

Harry frowned, but the frown quickly disappeared and replaced by a grin when Wood suddenly scooped him up from behind. "That's my boy!" He yelled. 

Harry laughed and turned, and found himself greeted by Professor Lupin. "That was quite some Patronus." 

"The Dementors didn't affect me at all!" The Gryffindor seeker said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!" 

"That was ah..." Lupin cleared his throat. "That would be because they weren't Dementors. Come and see." The professor pulled Harry out of the crowd towards the edge of the field. "You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright." 

Harry halted when he saw Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Marcus Flint all lying on the ground, struggling to remove themselves form the long, black hooded robes. Professor McGonagall was standing over them with a look that could kill. "An unworthy trick!" She shouted. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor seeker! Detention for you all, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Processor Dumbledore about his, make no mistake!" 

"C'mon, Harry." Xander said, pulling the black haired boy towards the Gryffindor common room. "LET'S PARTY!"

... 

* * *


	28. Part 28

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 28**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks for everyone's reviews! Again, my 1 week summer holiday has been waaaay busier than I have expected, and I've to delay updating the story until now. But this's gonna be a 2 parts update, hopfully it'll make it for you guys. :)**   
Note 2: **And once again, thank you wonderful Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

The celebration had been a blast until Professor McGonagall came by and ordered them to go to bed. Harry was about to go back to bed when he saw a school owl standing on his night stand, holding a letter. He quickly accepted and opened it, and smiled when he found it was from Willow. Quickly scribbling a reply, he gave it back to the school owl, and let it out from the window. The smile refused to leave his face even after he finally fell asleep.

... 

Buffy sat on her bed, her eyes focusing on the text in front of her. Feeling a bit thirsty, she looked up, and found the bottle of water not far away. "Accio water." She picked up her wand on her nightstand and waved, but nothing happened. Frowning, Buffy pointed her wand at the bottle of water again. "Accio water!" Still, nothing. 

Shaking her head, Buffy closed the book. "I must be tired." She reasoned, before putting her book and wand away, and tucked herself into bed. 

What she did not notice was the faint red glow coming from her necklace.

... 

Harry slipped out of the castle, and quickly ran towards Hagrid's hut. It was one of those secret dates he was having with Willow, and even though it was fun sometimes, the black haired Gryffindor couldn't help but hoping they did not have to sneak around like they had now. Ron, Hermione, Xander and Buffy all knew of the close relationship between himself and Willow, and Harry knew that Dawn had been helping Willow sneaking away especially since she still needed the crutches to walk, but the majority of teachers and students knew nothing except that the redhead would hang out with Gryffindors; the pair had been trying to avoid being spotted alone with each other. 

Apart from the small courtyard Harry and Willow had always spent together practicing Quidditch, Hagrid's hut became their second favorite meeting place. Not only that not many other students would go there, Hagrid had never questioned the close relationship between Willow and he unlike other professors. 

Reaching the hut, the smile that had been plastered on Harry's face disappeared when he saw Buffy and Hermione sitting on the rock outside the hut with Willow. When he got closer, he halted, wondering if he was seeing right: Hagrid, who was standing in the shallows of the Black Lake, had worn a hairy brown suit with a rather ugly yellow and orange tie. 

"Hey." Buffy looked up and greeted the black haired boy. 

"What's going on?" Harry asked, spotting the worried look on Willow's face, and immediately reached out and held her hand. "Are you okay?" 

Willow nodded towards the half giant not far away. "He just came back from the hearing." 

"Hearing?" 

"For Buckbeak." Hermione sighed. "Malfoy had sent an official complain after Draco was hurt." She turned towards Hagrid. "You still haven't told us how it went, Hagrid." 

"Well," Hagrid stared down at the rock he was holding. "I got up an' said my bit... you know, how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff, that as long as yeh treated 'im with respect, he'd treat you the same... Then," he said bitterly. "Lucius Malfoy got up an' said how Buckbeak was a **deadly** dangerous beast that no teacher in their righ' mind would expose their students to..." 

"And...?" Buffy promoted when Hagrid did not continued. 

"He asked fer the worse... Lucius Malfoy did. An' the Committee granted it." The half giant threw the rock angrily into the water. "Buckbeak's bin sentenced ter death!"

... 

Harry and Ron ran down the passageway towards the dungeons, made it just in time to Professor Flitwick's classroom for the Charm lesson. "You're late, boys!" Professor Flitwick said as he saw the two students. "Come along quickly! Pair up and wand out!" 

The two Gryffindor sat just behind Buffy and Xander. "What are we doing today?" 

"Cheering charms." Xander answered, then frowned. "I think." He turned towards the blonde sitting next to him. "Is it?" 

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Where have you been the last five minutes?" She shook her head and turned towards Harry and Ron. "Hermione could've done with a cheering charm on her though. She is so sad these days." 

"Willow too. She's still feeling guilty about Buckbeak. She thinks it's her fault that she didn't manage to persuade Malfoy not to complain." Harry said as he looked around. "Where's she?" He frowned when he couldn't find the redhead in the classroom. 

"I don't know." Buffy frowned. "I haven't seen her or Hermione whole morning." 

"C'mon now. Focus." Professor Flitwick ordered the gang. "Or you won't manage to pass the exam." 

Harry and Ron ended up in a pair, while Buffy and Xander in another. It did not take long for Harry to get a hang on the easy charm, and even Ron and Xander managed to use it by the end of the lesson. Buffy, for some reason, could not even get a spark from her wand. "Are you alright, Buffy?" Xander asked. It was rather unusual that Buffy could not do the spell, especially when she was one of the better Charm users in third year Gryffindor. 

"Maybe you're coming down with something?" 

The gang spun around, and found Willow sitting there with Hermione, both of them looked a bit worst for wear. Harry immediately moved towards the redhead. "Hey." 

"Harry." Willow grinned. 

"Where did you guys come from?" Ron blinked, looking a bit surprised. 

Willow and Hermione exchanged a look. "The door?" Hermione told Ron, before turning back towards the redhead Slytherin. "But I never heard that someone would be so tired that they cannot do spells?" She turned towards Buffy. "Maybe your wand is damaged?" 

"May I?" Harry asked, and the blond handed him the wand. "Lumos." He waved, and the tip of the wand lighted up. "It's working." He turned the light off, and handed it back to Buffy. 

Hermione looked troubled. "You should talk to a professor." 

"C'mon. It's no big deal. I'm just tired." Buffy waved her hand off, even though the frown on her face deepened.

... 

It was almost a week, and Buffy had yet to success in performing even the simplest spell. Harry was getting worried, so was the rest of the gang as they watched Buffy getting more and more worried. 

Willow no longer required the crutches, but her movement was still a bit weakened. Madam Pomfrey had said it would be sometime before Willow could regain the full use of her legs. Who would have thought damages done by muggle weapons would take even longer time for a person to recover than magic induced wounds? 

"Open your mind..." 

The black haired boy swallowed the giggles in his throat as he watched Hermione rolled her eyes for the third time since they had entered the classroom couple minutes ago. Divination was the last lesson for the week, and the whole gang, including Willow, would go to Hagrid's after class to spend sometime with Buckbeak before it was to be put down. He sighed, and turned towards the redhead, and found the redhead playing with the edge of the paper, not at least slightly focused on the text in front of her. 

"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art." Professor Trelawney's voice bought Harry's attention back towards her. "I do not expect any of you to see when you first peer into the Orb's infinite depths. That's why I introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned; the Fates have informed me your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice." 

Hermione's snort was loud enough to be heard by half the class. "Honestly..." She rolled her eyes again. "'The Fates have informed her'? Who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" The others giggled immediately. 

Professor Trelawney either did not hear Hermione, or simply didn't care as she continued. "We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes, so as to clear the Inner Eye and the super conscious. Perhaps, if we're lucky, some of you will see before the end of the class." 

Harry sighed, and stared into the milky orb in front of him, watching as the mist within moving slightly. "This is stupid..." He whispered, and turned back towards the table where Willow was sitting. 

"Oh my..." The black haired boy looked up, and found the professor stood there, staring at his orb. "What do we have here..." She narrowed her eyes. "Oh dear... the Gr-" 

"Oh for God's sake!" Hermione said loudly. "Not that ridiculous Grim again!" 

Professor Trelawney shook her head sadly as she moved towards Hermione and took the young student's hand into her own. "My dear," she petted Hermione's hand a bit. "From the moment you first arrived in my class, I sense that you do not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination. You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maid's, you soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave..." 

The whole class went silent. Hermione narrowed her eyes, looked about to explode. She stood gracefully, and without another word, swung her hand towards the orb on her table, knocking it onto the floor, before storming out of the classroom. Willow's eyes sent draggers at the professor as she stood also, her movement not as graceful as she picked up her own bag and left with Buffy who looked about to punch the professor. 

Professor Trelawney looked around, confusion written all over her face. "Did I say something?"

... 

The class finally ended. Harry followed Ron and Xander out of the classroom, listening to Ron as he complained. "Hermione has gone mental, I'm telling you." 

"You can't really blame Hermione though." Xander reasoned. 

"I thought you like Trelawney's class." 

"I do. 'Cos she's the only one who won't say anything when you fall asleep in her class." 

Harry shook his head, his eyes spotted the crystal ball that was knocked onto the floor by Hermione earlier. "I'll be right back." He said, picking up the orb and ran back into the classroom, putting it back onto the empty stand. But when his hands left the orb, the smoke inside it suddenly darken. Harry frowned and leaned in, and found himself staring at a milky face - the face of Sirius Black. 

The black haired boy stumbled back, when a hand suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulder. He turned, and found Professor Trelawney standing there, her hand shaking but refused to let go of Harry. "Professor..." 

"Tonight..." 

"What?" 

"The dark lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out... to rejoin his master. The dark lord will rise again with his servant's aid... greater and more terrible than ever he was..." The professor's voice became harsher as she struggled to breath. "Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master..." 

Then, suddenly, the professor's head fell forward, and coughed. The hand on Harry's shoulder finally gone loose, and the black haired boy immediately took a step back. Professor Trelawney looked up again, and blinked when she saw Harry. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear boy." She smiled. "The heat of the day, you know, I drifted off for a moment..." 

He took another step back. 

The professor frowned. "Is there anything wrong, my dear?" 

Harry swallowed, shook his head, and quickly ran out of the classroom.

... 

* * *


	29. Part 29

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 29**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

"Are you sure you want to quit Divination?" Willow asked quietly as she sat in the first floor courtyard with Buffy and Hermione. The trio had been there since they had left in the middle of the class. "I mean, the exam is going to be in a couple of months. It seems kind of a waste to drop the subject now." 

"Normally I wouldn't say no to anything resulting in less homework," Buffy scratched her head a little. "But Willow's right. Besides, it's not like Professor Twitchy-crazy's going to fail you or anything. I heard she always give the same grade to everyone who take her class, no matter how little you know." 

"I'm not going to waste any more time on that old fraud." 

"Well, if you put it this way..." 

"Buffy." The trio turned around, and found Professor Giles, Mr. Hank and a woman they could not recognize standing there. "May I have a word?" Giles asked, and it didn't take a genius to spot the deep frown on Giles' face. 

Willow and Hermione looked at each other before standing up. "We'll see you later, Buffy." Hermione said, and the Slytherin and Gryffindor quickly ran away, though none of the people noticed as the two youngsters turned towards the opposite side from the castle and hid behind the corner. 

Once Hermione and Willow were out of sight, Buffy gave a sideways glance at her birth father for a second before turning towards her step father. "What's up Gi- I mean, Professor Giles?" 

"Why don't we start by introducing ourselves first?" The woman said as she held out her hand. "I'm Rebecca Mockridge from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." The youngster frowned, but accepted the hand and shook it. 

"Buffy, did you wear the gem?" 

"What? What are you talking about?" Buffy frowned harder. "What gem?" 

"Professor, regardless if she possessed the Gem of Socian, she will need to be verified." Miss Mockridge shook her head at Giles before turning back toward Buffy. "Miss Summers, we'll need you to perform a spell." 

"A spell?" Buffy frowned harder. "What spell?" She turned to Giles. "What's going on?" 

"Just do it." Hank ordered. 

Mockridge narrowed her eyes at Hank before turning back towards Buffy. "Miss Summers, have you heard of the term 'slayer'?" 

"From my muggle studies class, yes. She's a muggle girl supposed to fight dark creatures. But we didn't really learn anything about her." 

"It's because slayers in history are mostly muggles, and they do not work in our world. The truth is, even witches can be a slayer. Slayer is the one girl who has the strength and power to fight against dark creatures without magic. There's only one at a time. One dies, a new one is called. Girls who have potential to become a slayer, or what we called potential slayers, are all to be taken to the Watcher Council to train. It is the organization that is in charge of slayers and any related matters." 

"But what does it have to do with me? Or if I have to be," Buffy held out her hands and air-coded, "verified." 

Giles and Mockridge exchanged a look. "The wizarding world and the Watchers Council have an agreement that has been passed on since the birth of first slayer, that while the Watchers Council and Slayer will not interfere with the wizarding world, the wizarding world would not interfere in the muggle world or Council businesses. So for a witch to become a potential and have a chance to be called, she will have to wear the Gem of Socian for seven days and nights. After that, the witch will lose all her magical ability. She will have to severe all the ties to the wizarding world before being sent to the Watcher Council." 

Chills sent down Buffy's spin as she heard the explanation. "You mean... no..." 

Giles' face turned pale. "Buffy, you didn't..." 

The youngster's shaking hand reached under her robe, and slowly pulled the necklace out. Giles and Mockridge eyes' widened when they saw the slightly glowing gem, while Hank smirked. "He said it was grandma's..." 

"YOU BASTERED!" 

Giles screamed and launched himself at Hank. Hank did not try to avoid Giles, instead facing him head on. The two men punched and kicked each other until Mockridge pulled out her wand. "Locomotor Mortis!" She pointed at the fighting pair. And quickly, both of them had their legs stuck together. They fell on the ground, with Hank on his butt and Giles on his face. "Enough, you two!" She ordered, before turning back towards Buffy, who was desperately trying to torn her necklace away. "Miss Summers," the woman put a hand on Buffy's hand, stopping her. "Once you wear the gem it could only be taken off after seven days. I'm sorry." 

"But... it can't..." Buffy looked at Giles, who was now staring at Buffy with tears in his eyes and a thin line of blood from his nose. "What does this mean?" 

"I'm sorry, Miss Summers. But you will have to leave Hogwarts and join the watcher council." 

"No-no-no-no-no..." Buffy slowly stumbled backwards, before spinning around and ran away. 

Giles looked desperately as his step daughter disappeared down the corridor. "BUFFY!" 

"Let her go, Rupert." Mockridge sighed and turned towards Hank. "We shall meet with the headmaster tomorrow for the paper work." 

"But-" 

"Miss Summers is still a student of Hogwarts, Mr. Summers. Until the headmaster of Hogwarts has given the official approval, Miss Summers shall remain a student and will **not** leave Hogwarts ground. Understood?" She pointed her wand at Hank. Hank swallowed and nodded. "Relashio." 

Hank pushed himself up as the binding spell was lifted. He narrowed his eyes at Mockridge and Giles, before storming away. Mockridge sighed, and released Giles from the spell when Hank finally disappeared down the corridor. "I'm sorry, Professor Giles." 

Giles said nothing, merely shook his head and walked away sadly.

... 

"Buffy! Wait!" 

Buffy halted, wiping her eyes with her collar of her cloak. "What?" 

"Buffy..." Hermione caught up, with Willow not far behind. "We heard." 

"I know." The blonde sighed, still refused to look at her friends. "Look, it's not a good time right now." 

Willow frowned. "B-but you need a friend..." 

"What use of friends when I will be sent off to God knows where?!" Buffy shouted. The redhead reached for the blonde, but the blonde quickly swept her hand away. "Just leave me alone!" 

Hermione and Willow stood there, watching helplessly as their friend ran away.

... 

Hermione and Willow had immediately gone to find Harry, Ron and Xander and told them about what they had heard earlier. Out of the three Gryffindors, Xander had taken the news the hardest, especially after Hermione had told them that Buffy had run away, crying. 

"That bastard!" 

"Calm down, Xander." 

"Calm down?" Xander turned towards Harry. "How can I?! He hurts Buffy!" 

"There's no use getting angry over it, Xander." Hermione sighed, messaging her forehead. "Maybe there's a way to keep Buffy here?" 

"How?" When Hermione couldn't answer, Xander took a step towards the dirty blonde, his hands threw up in the air. "C'mon! You are the smartest witch of all! There has got to be a book somewhere that can help giving Buffy back her mojo! C'mon! Tell me! How?!" 

"Hey!" Ron pushed Xander back. "Back off!" 

Xander narrowed his eyes and stepped towards Ron. "What are you going to do? Huh? You wanna fight me?!" 

"Maybe I do!" 

"ENOUGH!" Harry snapped and took a step forward, putting himself in between Ron and Xander. "Just stop it! It isn't helping!" When Xander and Ron finally backed off, he sighed. "We'll go to Hagrid's." He turned towards Willow who had not said a word since Hermione had told the others about Buffy. "I'm sure Buffy has gone there. There's no way she would miss spending time with Buckbeak before he..." 

"Fine!" Xander shouted, before storming off towards the exit of the castle. 

Harry sighed again, watching as Xander and then Ron and Hermione moved down the corridor. He turned towards Willow, and helped the redhead up, before slowly followed their friends towards Hagrid's hut. 

Their hands were holding all the way, neither one wanted to let go.

... 

* * *


	30. Part 30

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 30**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: **Thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

The gang, minus Buffy, were stepping out of the castle when they were immediately greeted by Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle who were standing there, overseeing Hagrid's hut and the pumpkin field outside where Buckbeak was. It made everyone's blood boil watching the trio chatting and laughing; Crabbe even had a bag of popcorns in his hand, as if waiting for the movie to start. 

"This day has just gotten worse..." Ron frowned. 

The three Slytherins turned their attentions towards Ron and Hermione. "Ah." Draco smirked. "Come to see the show?" 

The usually calm Hermione finally had enough. She pulled out her wand and stormed towards the blonde, the tip of her wand pressing against his neck. The young Malfoy stumbled backwards until his back was pressed against the tree, staring at Hermione nervously. 

"'Mione! No!" Willow shouted. Hermione glanced at the redhead, but did not let go of the blonde. 

"C'mon 'Mione." 

The gang turned around, and found Buffy standing there, evidence of tears could still be seen on her face. "Buffy..." 

The blonde Gryffindor ignored Xander, instead focusing on Hermione. "He's not worth it." She told her friend quietly. 

Everyone held their breath as Hermione glared at Draco with a look that could kill. After almost a life time, the Gryffindor bookworm finally retreated her wand and turned away. 

Draco sighed in relief, a smirk slowly fishing back onto his pale face when Hermione suddenly turned back towards him. Next thing everyone knew was Draco kneeling on the ground, his hands covering his face. Hermione had punched him in the face, effectively breaking his nose. 

Ron, Xander and Harry's jaws dropped comically. Crabbe and Goyle immediately went to help Draco up, and pulled him towards the entrance of the castle. 

Draco halted when he reached Willow and reached out for her. "Will-" 

Willow took a step back, avoiding the other boy's hand. "Just go." She whispered. 

Harry immediately moved forward, shielding Willow away from Draco. The blonde Slytherin glared at Harry; the glare hardened when he spotted their connecting hands. "C'mon!" Crabbe said, pulling Draco and running back into the castle with Goyle. 

After the three Slytherins finally left, the gang turned towards Buffy, who smiled at her friends. "Nice punch." She told Hermione. 

"Nice?" Ron finally managed to close his jaw. "That's **brilliant**!" 

Everyone grinned.

... 

Willow was standing by the window inside Hagrid's hut with Hagrid, watching Buckbeak who was napping in the pumpkin field. "Look at 'em." Hagrid sighed. "Loves the smell o' trees when the wind blows..." 

"Why don't you set him free, Hagrid?" Harry asked, standing next to Willow. 

"Yeh will do no s'ch thing!" Hagrid shook his head and turned towards Harry. "They'd know I did it. And tha' would only get Dumbledore in trouble. Gonna come down, yeh know. Says he wants ter be with me when it..." He sighed again. "... when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore. Great man." 

Willow looked at Hagrid. "We'll stay too, Hagrid." 

"Yeh will not! Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this? No. Yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off." He nodded at the tea on the table. "Oh, but before yeh do, Ron," the half giant moved towards the self nearby and opened an old cookies' tin and took out a familiar rat. 

"Scabbers! You're alive!" The redhead Gryffindor immediately rushed forward and held his pet rat. 

Hagrid smiled. "Yeh should keep a closer eye on yer pet, Ron." 

Hermione stood. "I think that means you owe someone an apology." 

"Right." Ron snorted. "Next time I see Crookshanks I'll let him know." 

"I meant me!" 

Suddenly, the jar on table behind Hermione shattered. Hermione frowned, and picked up a smooth round shaped stone next to it. 

"Ouch!" 

Everyone immediately turned towards Harry, who had his hand smoothing the back of his head. Someone had just thrown a stone at him. 

"Are you alright?" 

Seeing the worried expression on Willow's face, Harry immediately smiled and took her hand into his own. "I'm fine." 

Willow was about to sigh in relief when her breath was caught. "Hagrid!" She shouted and pointed. 

Everyone looked out of the window, and found Dumbledore, Fudge and a man wearing a black hook, holding a big axe that screamed 'executioner' walking towards the hut. Hagrid immediately turned back towards his students. "Someone sees yeh outside the castle it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'pecially yeh Willow-" 

BANG! BANG! 

Everyone spun towards the wooden door. "C'MING!" Hagrid shouted before turning back towards the children. "Quick!" 

Buffy stood, and started pulling Xander towards the back door, with Ron, Hermione and Willow quickly following. Harry was about to follow when he turned back towards Hagrid. "Hagrid, it's going to be fine. It's going to be okay." 

Hagrid nodded nervously. "Go on! Go!"

... 

Hermione opened the back door quietly, waiting for the headmaster, the minister and the executioner to step into Hagrid's hut before running out from the back door with others quickly hiding themselves behind the piles of super sized pumpkins. 

The gang peeked over the pumpkins, watching as Hagrid began talking to the three newcomers. Suddenly, Hermione felt something behind her. She spun around, and stared into the dark forest. 

"What?" Xander asked, and followed his classmate's line of sight towards the woods. 

"I thought I just saw..." Hermione frowned. "Nothing." 

"C'mon." Buffy urged. The gang immediately ran back towards the castle. None of them stopped until they reached the huge tree just outside the castle and looked back down at the hut, just in time to see the executioner swinging its axe towards where Buckbeak had been. 

Hermione immediately turned away, hanging onto Ron who was standing next to her. Buffy and Xander both closed their eyes, unable make themselves watch as Buckbeak was beheaded. Harry looked down at his hand that was linking to Willow's, feeling that the redhead's small hand was losing its grip. He squeezed the hand lightly, but received no response as the redhead continued to stare. 

"Oww." Everyone turned towards Ron, who was holding his figure. "He bit me!" He frowned, looking around for his rat that he had dropped when it bit him, before taking off after it towards the other side away from the castle. "Scabbers! Come back!" 

"Ron!" Buffy shouted and ran after her friend with the others quickly followed. "Wait!" The blonde suddenly halted, causing the others to run into her back. They all watched as the redhead Gryffindor fell onto the ground, barely catching his pet rat, not noticing the giant willow tree behind him. 

"Harry, you do realize what tree it is." Hermione said nervously. 

"This is not good." Harry whispered to himself before shouting at Ron. "RON! RUN!" 

Ron looked up at his friends, confused. But then the confused look on his face suddenly turned into one of panic. He pointed at the gang with a shaky finger. "BEHIND YOU! RUN!" Everyone spun around, and found a huge black dog snarling at them. "IT'S THE GRIM!" 

Before anyone could react, the dog ran and jumped over them, and heading straight towards the redheaded Gryffindor.

... 

* * *


	31. Part 31

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 31**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Again, thank you Joahn:)**   
Note 2: **Nothing much except a bit of Willow / Xander. Hope u guys still like it. ;p**

* * *

... 

Everyone watched in horror as the dog reached Ron in a blink of an eye and fastened its jaws around the redhead's leg. "HEEEEEEEEEELP!" Ron screamed, reaching out for his friend while the dog started dragging him backwards as if his weight was nothing. 

Buffy lunged forward, and threw herself towards Ron's outstretched hand, but it was too late as the dog quickly dragged Ron down into the gap between the roots of the Whomping Willow. "RON!" Without a second thought, Buffy threw herself into the gap, and disappeared with Ron into the darkness. 

Hermione, Willow, Harry and Xander ran towards their friends, but then, out of nowhere, a huge branch hit them in their chests and sent them flying back several feet. Xander's head hit a huge rock nearby and was quickly knocked unconscious. Hermione immediately crawled towards him while Harry went to help Willow to her feet. "How is he?" Harry asked as he spotted Xander and Hermione. 

"Knocked out." Hermione said. "We can't leave him here. And how are we going to get passed the tree?" 

Willow studied the tree as its thick tree branch moving slightly against the light wind. "I'll stay." She took a step forward and held her hands up, her palm facing the Whomping Willow. "HOLD!" She shouted. 

A wave of invisible force went passed Hermione and Harry and towards the Whomping Willow. The moving tree branch halted, but then slowly moved forward as it fought against the invisible bind. Hermione, wasting no time, threw herself into the huge gap. Harry followed his friend but halted, turning towards the redhead. "Willow!" 

"GO!" Willow ordered, and Harry couldn't help but flinch a bit as he watched black expanding and taking over her green eyes. Nodding, he ran, and disappeared into the gap. 

Willow released the hold she had on the Whomping Willow, and immediately fell back onto the ground, exhausted.

... 

Hermione pulled out her wand as a light glow came out from its tip, walking quietly with Harry down the dark tunnel. "Where do you suppose this goes?" 

"I have a hunch." Harry answered. "I just hope I'm wrong..." 

It didn't take long for the two students to reach the end of the tunnel. Looking up, they could see a small opening just above them. Harry climbed up first, quickly followed by Hermione who had put her wand back into her back pocket. "It's..." 

"The Shrieking Shack." Harry whispered back. They looked down at the dusty floor, and followed the dog prints and drag marks towards the second floor. 

The two Gryffindors rushed towards the opened room at the end of the corridor, and immediately found Buffy and Ron sitting at the corner, the redhead still holding onto his rat. They rushed towards their friend. "You're okay-" "The dog. Where's-" 

The shaking redhead looked up, and pointed behind his friends. "He's the dog, Harry. It's a trap. He's an Animagus..." 

Hermione and Harry froze. They followed the dog foot prints on the floor, watching as the paws slowly transformed into human foot prints until it reached a pair for dirty feet. Slowly, they looked up, and found themselves staring at a filthy, crazy looking man. 

Sirius Black. 

"Hello Harry."

... 

Xander slowly opened his eyes, and had to blink couple of times before he could focus the face in front of him. "Wha...?" 

"You okay?" Willow moved back a bit and helped the black haired Gryffindor sat up. "Careful. You hurt your head." 

"Tell me about it." Xander groaned at the killing headache. He looked down the white handkenife that had fallen onto his lap from his head. "Where're-" 

"'Mione and Harry went after Ron and Buffy." Willow answered as she took the handkerchief, frowned at the blood on it, before re-folding it so the clean part was facing outwards, and pressed it against the cut at the side of Xander's forehead. 

"So why didn't you-" 

"Someone had to stay with you." Willow pulled back her hand a bit to study the cut. "It has stopped bleeding. We'd better get Madam Pomfrey to check that out though. Can you walk?" 

Xander stared at Willow for a moment, his headache forgotten. "Why?" 

"Why what?" 

"Why do you keep doing this? Is it because of Harry?" 

The redhead's head dropped. "I won't hurt him." 

"I don't mean it like that." Willow looked up. "I just... I just don't get it... okay, you fancy Harry," Willow's face immediately turned interesting shades of red. "So you help him. But why even bother with us?" 

"Because you are my friends!" Xander frowned. "I know you and Ron don't like me... but I still think of you as my friends." Willow explained. "I don't have many of them, even back when I was still in Sunnydale. I... I was a geek. No one wanted to be my friend. Most of the time other people talked to me was because they were laughing at me or making fun of me. I mean, sure, I got the coven. But including me there are only three people in it and the other two were almost three times my age. The only reason they were willing to include me was because they needed a third. And after Amy..." Willow shook her head. "I learned a long time ago that I've got to treasure the little that I have, including friends." 

"You're a Slytherin." Xander pointed out. 

"I'm still the girl you helped in Diagon Alley. Being sorted into the Slytherin house doesn't change who I am." 

"That's not what I mean, either." Xander sighed. "Look, it's hard for me..." Willow's head dropped. "... but I guess since you're friends with Harry and 'Mione and Buffy..." He held out his hand. 

Willow blinked. She slowly looked up at Xander, then to the hand, then back to Xander again. She smiled and shook the offered hand. "Friends."

... 

* * *


	32. Part 32

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 32**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks for everyone's wonderful reviews. And sorry about the super late update, so there will be 2 (32-33) updates in a roll! Forgive me?**   
Note 2: **Thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

"Hello Harry." 

Hermione immediately put herself in front of Harry. "If you want to kill Harry you'll have to kill us too." 

"No." Black took a step forward. "Only one will die tonight." 

"Then it'll be you!" Harry screamed and rushed forward, tackled the man into the floor and pointed his wand at him. 

"Harry!" Buffy took a step forward, torn, not knowing what to do as she watched Harry's hand shaking with fury. 

Black only laughed. "Are you going to kill me, Harry?" 

Suddenly, another man rushed into the room. "EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry's wand flew away from his hand. 

Professor Lupin stood at the doorway, his wand pointing at Harry. Everyone stared at him nervously until he nodded at Harry. Harry immediately got off from the escaped prisoner and went to join his friend. 

"Well, well, Sirius." The professor slowly moved towards Black. "Looking a bit ragged, aren't we? Finally the skin reflects the madness within." 

Black raised an eyebrow. "You'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus?" 

The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then slowly, Lupin held out his other hand, and helped Black to his feet. To everyone's horror, the two men embraced, petting each other's back like brothers. 

"NO!" Hermione stepped forward, looking at the professor angrily. "I trusted you! I covered up for you! And all this time you've been his friend!" She pointed at Lupin and turned towards her friends. "He's a werewolf! That's why he has been missing classes!" 

Everyone looked up, dumbfounded at the new information. Professor Lupin took a step forward, staring at Hermione. "How long have you known? 

"Since Professor Snape set the essay." 

"Well well well. You're really the brightest witch of your age I've ever met-" 

"Enough talk Remus." Black cried as he threw his hands into the air like a madman. "C'mon. Let's kill him-" 

"Wait-" 

"I DID MY WAITING!" Black shouted. "**Twelve** years of it! In Azkaban!" 

Lupin studied his friend for a moment, before turning towards Harry, watching him as he handed over his wand to the escaped prisoner, sighing. "Very well. Kill him..." Black immediately took the wand. "... but wait one more minute." Black said as he turned back towards his friend. "Harry has the right to know why." 

"I know why." Harry said painfully, not believing that the professor he had looked upon had been his enemy all these time. "You betrayed my parents! You're the reason they're dead!" 

"No Harry. It wasn't him." Lupin explained." Somebody did betray your parents but it was somebody who until quite recently I believed to be dead." 

"Who was it then?!" 

"Peter Pettigrew." Black said. "He's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out Peter." He sing-song voice echoed the house as he took a steps towards the gang. "Come out, come out and play-" 

"EXPELLIARMUS!" 

The wand flew out of Black's hand. Looking up, they found Professor Snape standing there, his wand pointing at Black as he sneered. "Ah, vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you." 

Lupin slowly approached the Potion Master. "Severus-" 

Professor Snape turned his wand towards Lupin, and the other professor immediately took a step back. "I told Dumbledore you were helping your old friend into the castle and now, here's the proof." 

"Brilliant Snape, as usual come on the wrong conclusion." Black walked right in front of the Potion Master. "Now if you excuse us, Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to-" 

Snape poked his wand right towards the other man's neck. "Give me a reason. I **beg** you." 

Remus looked worried. "Severus, don't be a fool-" 

Black ignored his friend as he smirked at Professor Snape. "He can't help it. It's a habit by now-" 

Lupin frowned. "Quiet Sirius!" 

Black turned towards his friend. "You quiet, Remus!" 

Snape shook his head. "Listen to you two. Quarreling like an old married couple." 

Black looked annoyed. "Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set?" 

Snape narrowed his eyes, his wand dug even deeper into Black' neck. "I could do it, you know? But why should I decline the Dementors, who are so longing to see you?" He raised an eyebrow as Black slowly moved backwards. "Do I detect a flicker of fear? One can only imagine what it must be like to endure the Dementor's Kiss. It's said to be unbearable to witness but I'll do my best." 

"Severus please-" 

"After you." Snape told Lupin and Black as he nodded towards the doorway. 

Taking the chance that the three adults weren't looking, Buffy slowly reached for her wand and stuffed it into Harry's hand. Harry glanced at his friend, took the wand, and slowly took a step forward. Ron, seeing what Harry was trying to do, pulled Hermione back a bit. 

Snape turned towards Harry, looking on curiously as he pointed his wand at Black. Suddenly, Harry turned, and pointed his wand at Snape. "Expelliarmus!" 

Snape's wand flew away. The Potions Master growled. "How dare-" 

But before he could get another word out, an invisible force pushed him flying towards the opposite wall, knocking him out. "Willow!" 

"Hey." The redhead waved at Harry a bit, but her darkened eyes never once left Black and Lupin while half supporting Xander. 

Xander grinned at them moved to join the gang. "When we saw Snape on our way back to the castle we figure you would need a hand." 

Harry turned back towards Lupin and Black, his wand pointing at them. "Tell me about Peter Pettigrew." 

"He was at school with us. We thought he was our friend." Lupin explained. 

"No. Pettigrew's dead." The boy-who-lived turned towards Black. "You killed him." 

Lupin immediately positioned himself in front of Black. "I thought so too until you mentioned seeing Peter on the map." 

Buffy frowned. "The map's lying then." 

"The map **never** lies." Black rolled his eyes. "Peter's alive! And he's right there!" 

Everyone followed Black's figure, and found Ron, who was still sitting at the corner. Buffy and Hermione who was standing closest to him immediately stepped back away from him. "Me?! You're mental-" 

"Not you!" Black rolled his eyes again. "Your rat!" 

"Scabbers?! Scabbers had been in the family for-" 

"Twelve years. A curiously long life for a common garden rat. He is missing a toe, isn't he?" 

Ron hugged his rat tighter, trying to shield it as Black moved towards him. "So what?" 

Harry blinked. "All they could find of Pettigrew was his-" 

"Finger!" Black growled. "Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead! Then he transformed into a rat!" 

Harry put on his resolve. "Show me." 

Black nodded, and turned towards Ron for the rat. Ron tried to hold onto his pet, but Buffy stepped forward, and wrestled the rat out from Ron's grasp and gave it to Black. 

Lupin picked up two wands from the floor and handed one to Black. Black held up the rat. "Ready Remus?" 

"Ready." Lupin said. "On three. One... two... three!" 

"Holy crap!"

... 

* * *


	33. Part 33

* * *

**Blood Ties**   
**Part 33**   
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Thanks for everyone's wonderful reviews. And sorry about the super late update, so there will be 2 (32-33) updates in a roll! Forgive me?**   
Note 2: **Thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story!**

* * *

... 

"On three. One... two... three!" 

"Holy crap." Xander blinked, his words representing the same thought that was running through the others as they took in the sight in front of them. 

A flash of blue and white light erupted from their wands and hit the rat, and immediately, the rat transformed into a man. The man looked about the same age as Black and Lupin but much shorter, with a pointed nose, small eyes and grubby skin that looked more like rat's fur. Harry could not help but felt like even in human form, this man who called himself Peter Pettigrew, was more of a rat than a human. 

Lupin and Black released the spell, and Pettigrew immediately dropped onto the floor. He looked up, his eyes darting among Lupin, Black and the doorway behind them. "Remus... S-sirius... my old friends..." He rushed forward, trying to get past in between them but the two adults immediately seized his wrists and threw him back. 

Pettigrew fell onto the ground, his eyes darting around again, and this time settled on Harry. "Harry!" He pushed himself up again and stumbled forward towards the younger man. "Look at you! You look just like your father, like James! We were the best of friends, he and I-" 

"How dare you talk to Harry!" Black growled, his wand, shaking with anger, pointed at Pettigrew. "How dare you speak of James in front of him!" 

Pettigrew tried to run away, but Remus blocked his way. "You sold out James and Lily, didn't you?!" 

"I didn't mean to!" Pettigrew cried. "The Dark Lord... you have no idea the weapons he possesses..." He turned towards Sirius. "Ask yourself what you would have done! What would you have done!" 

"I would have died! I would have died than betray my friends!" 

Pettigrew tried to make a break for the second time. Lupin and Black ran after them, but not as quickly as Willow as she threw up her hands, causing the door to swing closed by itself. The ex-rat ran right onto the door, his face smashed against the wooden surface and broke his nose. 

Pettigrew looked up, confused and in pain, when Willow stepped forward and stood next to Harry. "You are not going anywhere." 

The ex-rat blinked, looked as if he had just noticed the redhead. "Mistress... mercy..." He was about to move closer when Harry positioned himself right in front of her and pushed Pettigrew back away from them. "I've been loyal... please... mercy..." 

Lupin moved closer with his wand pointing at him. "You should have realized, Peter. If Voldemort didn't kill you, I would!" 

Black also took a step closer to the ex-rat. "Together!" 

Harry glanced at his girlfriend, then his friend, before turning back towards Black and Lupin, his mind made up. "No." 

"Harry, this man-" 

"I know what he is." Harry told Lupin. "We'll take him to the castle." 

Pettigrew looked a bit relieved. "Bless you boy. Bless you-" 

"I said, we'll take you to the castle." Harry took a couple steps forward. "After that, the Dementors are going to have you." 

"No..."

... 

"Sorry about the bite." Black told Ron as he helped the redhead Gryffindor down the tunnel with Hermione. Harry and Willow were walking hand to hand in front of them, whispering to each other, while Lupin guarding Pettigrew further at the front. Buffy, half holding Xander, followed them at the back. "I reckon that twinges a bit." 

"A bit?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "You almost tore my leg off!" 

"Hey, I was aiming for the rat." Black explained. "Normally, I have a very sweet disposition as a dog." Harry and Willow turned towards the escaped prisoner as one and raised eyebrows at him. "What?" He pouted, which somehow made him looked younger than he was. "I am. In fact, more than once, James suggested that I make the change permanent. The tail I can live with, but the fleas... they're murder." 

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked from behind as she looked at Black's messy hair wryly. "You hair doesn't exactly scream 'flea-free' to me." Black pouted harder, causing the others to giggle.

... 

"The door was you, wasn't it? His nose." Harry whispered to Willow as they made their way back to the castle with the gang. Willow nodded. "I'm glad." 

"Me too." Willow whispered back. "Harry?" 

"Um?" 

"Do you..." 

"What?" 

Willow shook her head. "Nothing." She reached into a pocket and pulled out a small black bag that's about the same size as a tea bag before stuffing it into Harry's hand. "For you." 

"It's..." 

"Protection charm. The strongest one I can make with the ingredients I can get my hands on. It should give you a bit of protection against Dementors." Willow whispered, feeling her cheek burning. "I want you to be safe." 

"Thanks." Harry smiled and put it into his pocket. "But hopefully I don't need it anymore." 

Willow nodded, feeling the hole at the back of her head getting bigger and bigger. She did not need to look to know that it was Black who was staring at her, and her heart getting heavier and heavier as she thought of the reason the escaped prisoner was staring.

... 

Once stepping out from the opening via the Whomping Willow, Black and Hermione helped Ron to a huge rock nearby, before the escaped prisoner took a couple steps forward, staring at the castle not far ahead. 

Willow watched Black quietly, before letting go of Harry's hand. Harry looked at her, a bit confused, when she nodded at Black. "Go." She whispered. 

Harry nodded, and went to join Black. Willow turned, and helped Buffy setting Xander next to Ron. The redhead Slytherin and the blond Gryffindor smiled at each other when Hermione tried to consult Ron. "So..." Buffy moved away a bit with Willow quickly followed, leaving Xander with Ron and Hermione. "How are you?" 

Buffy shrugged at Willow's question at she looked far ahead. "Take care of them, will you? After I'm gone. I mean, Hermione's okay, but you're the one with the big mojo." 

"Oh. But..." Willow frowned. "Have I ever mentioned I'm not good under pressure?" 

Buffy turned and faced the redhead, her hands held up and surrender. "No pressure. But you're the strongest person here. You know that, right?" 

Willow frowned harder. "Well... no." 

Buffy grinned. "Hey, don't get a jelly belly on me now." 

"No, no jelly belly. May be M & M's," Buffy's grin immediately disappeared and replaced by confused expression. "O-or..." The redhead tailed off when she noticed the necklace on Buffy's chest. "This..." Under the moonlight, she narrowed her eyes at the gem. "I know this..." 

"HARRY!"

... 

Harry walked up towards Black quietly, joining his Godfather as they watched the castle not far away. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Black asked softly. "I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again as a free man." He then turned towards Harry. "That was a noble thing you did there." He nodded at Pettigrew, who was begging Lupin to spare him, not to hand him over to the Dementors. 

Harry shook his head. "I didn't think my dad would have wanted his best friends to become killers. Besides, if he dies, the truth dies with him." He smiled at Black. "Alive, you're free." 

Black smiled. "I don't know if you know, Harry... but when you were born, James and Lily made me your godfather." He looked away, and Harry could see the faint blush on his dirty cheeks. 

"I know." 

"I can understand if you choose to stay with your aunt and uncle... but if you... if you ever wanted a different home..." 

"What? Come and live with you?" 

"It's just a thought." Black answered. "I can understand if you don't want to-" 

"HARRY!" 

Everyone turned towards Hermione, who pointed at the night sky - at the rising full moon. 

Harry spun towards Lupin, who was now staring at it, his body shaking as moonlight washed over him. Black rushed towards the professor, holding his arms as his face rapidly changing into something non-human... something wolf-y. "Remus! My old friend! Have you taken your potion tonight?" Black shouted desperately as the arms he was holding getting larger and larger under his hands. "You know the man you truly are, Remus! This heart is where you truly live!" He put his hand over Lupin's chest. "HERE! This flesh is only flesh!" 

Harry was about to go to help Black when he saw movement at the corner of his eyes. Pettigrew had picked up the wand that was dropped by Lupin, and immediately, Harry pointed his own wand at him. "Expelliarmus!" 

Pettigrew's wand fell back to the ground, but the other man didn't seem to be concerned. He smiled, waved a little at Harry, and before anyone knew it, were he had been standing was now replaced by a rat, and it quickly ran away, disappeared into the dark. 

Harry was about to go follow the rat when Black shouted. He turned back, and found Black was trying to hold back the now werewolf Professor Lupin. "RUN! RUN-" The werewolf swung his powerful hand, easily flicking Black away into the bush nearby. 

"SIRIUS!" Harry went to help Black, but Buffy came up from behind and pulled him back as the werewolf took a step towards him. 

The children stared at the werewolf as he stared back at them. Hermione took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Professor?" She asked softly. "Professor Lupin?" 

"There you are!" Out of no where, Professor Snape appeared and grabbed Harry's arm roughly. "You-" 

The werewolf growled, causing Snape to turn around, and found himself face to face at the six foot tall werewolf. He fell back, bringing Ron and Xander back onto the ground with him. Buffy quickly pulled Hermione, who was standing too close to the werewolf, backwards. Willow stepped up and held up her palm, quickly forming a ball of fire in front of her. 

Seeing Willow's intention, Harry reached for his girlfriend and pulled her back. "NO!" Willow spun towards him, and he flinched as he could see Willow's eyes were now totally black, with nothing white left behind. "Don't hurt him!" 

The werewolf howled, once again dominating their attentions. He was now staring at Harry and Willow, his teeth bared. But even if he had started moving towards the gang again a black dog coming from nowhere jumped towards the werewolf, biting it and pulling it away from the others. 

It was Sirius Black.

... 

* * *


	34. Part 34

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 34**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before. 

Note 1: **Can't believe it took me this long to do a update. RL doesn't like me, just as my thesis refuse to let go of my butt... anyways, hope you like it!**  
Note 2: **Again, thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story!**  
Review: **Thanks for everyone's reviews. Again, I'm really really sorry the late update. I will definitely finish the story, so don't worry (even if it may takes a bit of time...)**

* * *

... 

Sirius in his dog form bit into werewolf Lupin's arm and tried to pull it away from the gang, but the werewolf easily swung the dog away from him. He turned back towards the gang, but Sirius appeared in front of him, baring his fangs as he growled, giving the werewolf his last warning. 

The werewolf growled back, clearly not about to give up. The black dog growled the last time and shot forward, his paws clawing onto the werewolf's chest, the force knocking the werewolf onto the ground. The werewolf rolled to his side, his teeth reached for the dog's neck and bit into it without mercy. The dog howled in pain as the werewolf held it up high before swinging his head and threw the dog away like a rag doll. 

"Sirius!" Harry screamed, once again trying to reach for Sirius when the werewolf swung his claws towards Harry. This time, a fire ball shot right past Harry, almost burning his ear off as it reached the werewolf's claws. The werewolf's hand retreated, but the fireball seemed to have angered him more as the beast's eyes stared at the gang in fury. 

Harry's mind raced as he watched the angry werewolf, when suddenly he heard another howl from nearby. The werewolf, who was about to advance on the gang, halted and turned its attention towards the calling. When the howl came the second time, the werewolf turned and ran into the Forbidden Forest, not bothering to even spare a glance at the gang. Seeing that the werewolf was gone, Harry immediately ran towards where Sirius had disappeared to, ignoring the frustrated call from Snape. 

... 

The gang watched as Snape stormed off to the infirmary, before turning towards each other, the worry on their faces mirrored each other. Professor Snape had taken them back to the castle, and ordered them to stay while the headmaster and other professors went to look for Harry, Lupin and Sirius. 

"We have to find them." Buffy turned towards Ron and Xander. "You two stay..." 

"I'm good! I'm good!" Xander tried to sit up from his bed but Buffy pushed him back down easily. 

"No Xander. You hurt yourself enough for a day." 

"And we're not going anyway." Buffy turned towards Hermione with a raising eyebrow. "Didn't you listen to Professor Snape? He said we have to stay here! Besides, other professors are looking for them right now." 

"Hermione's right." Willow agreed from her place next to Hermione. "I'm sure the Dementors are looking for them too. Are you going to be able to fight them?" Buffy pouted. "We have bigger problem. Buffy, do you remember the name of the necklace you're wearing?" 

Buffy's face darkened immediately. "Who cares?" 

"It's the Gem of Socian." Hermione answered. "Why?" 

Willow nodded. "Of course." She looked around. "BUFFY!" 

Buffy blinked. "You do realize I'm standing right here, right? You don't have to shout." 

"Not you." Willow dismissed the blond witch, and continued searching for something the others have no idea of. "BUFFY! C'mon out!" 

"Did she hurt her head?" Ron mouthed to Xander, but the black haired just shrugged. 

"It's okay! Buffy!" 

Buffy, in a true 13-year-old child style, started stomping her feet. "I said I'm here!" 

"Yes Mistress?" 

The others couldn't spin their heads fast enough to the sudden appearance of the house-elf next to Willow, but Willow paid no attention to her friends as she addressed her house-elf. "In the trunk, at the corner, get me the book with the black leather cover." 

"A book, Mistress?" Willow nodded. "Yes, Mistress." 

The others watched as the house-elf disappeared into thin air. Hermione frowned, her brain quickly processed what she had just heard. "You know about the gem?" 

"One of the by-products of the mischief of my great-great-great-grandfather. I know the name sounds familiar, but I wasn't sure until I saw the necklace under the moonlight. Look." Willow moved towards Buffy and held up the gem gently. Under the weak moonlight from the windows, a golden rose appeared within the reddish gem. "The symbol of my family. The rose will only show up under the moonlight." 

A light bulb appeared on Ron's head. "So... you can take it off her?" 

"Mistress." 

Buffy the house-elf popped up again before Willow could answer, and held out a book that was about as thick as a dictionary. Ron raised an eyebrow when Willow quickly turned towards the end of the book. "You read the whole thing?" 

"Kinda light reading." 

"You're crazier than Hermione." 

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Hey!" 

"Shh!" Buffy ordered before turning back towards Willow who quickly scanned through the pages with a grin slowly developed on her pale face. "So? Can you take this damn thing off?" 

"I think I can do better than that." Willow looked at her friends, and no one could miss the resolve in her eyes. "I can give you back your magic." 

"Wait a minute!" Xander suddenly shouted, causing everyone to turn towards him. "Willow has a house-elf! And she's called Buffy!" 

Hermione rolled her eyes, so did Ron. Willow looked over towards Buffy, and for the first time since the meeting with her father, Willow saw hope in Buffy's eyes. The hope did not last long though as her eyes widened. "Wait. I got named after a house-elf?!" 

... 

Harry ran down the darkened path until he reached the quiet clearing. Moonlight shinning down from the night sky, and it did not take long for the young student to spot Sirius Black lying next to the calm lake. "Sirius!" 

Harry rushed forward and kneed beside the un-moving man. "Sirius..." He took his dirty hand into his own, and sighed in relief when he noticed the small movement on the man's chest. 

The relief did not last long though when he felt a chill creeping towards him. The lake froze, a thin layer of ice forming right in front of his eyes. Slowly, he looked up at the disappearing moon, and watched in horror as hundreds of Dementors circled above, surrounding the young student and the escaped prisoner. 

Quickly drawing out his wand, Harry pointed at the sky, at the groups of Dementors that were closing in. "Expecto Patronum!" A silver shape left his wand, repelling the first two that were diving towards them. But it did not last long as the silver light disappeared, leaving them vulnerable. A Dementor took the chance and swooped down, knocking the wand from the young boy's hand. 

Harry dropped the wand, his butt hit the ground as he fell, the charm that had once been in his pocket fell out. The boy crawled backwards, his palm covered the now glowing charm. He looked down, surprised, before picking it up quickly and held it towards another Dementor that was approaching. The Dementor hit Harry's palm head on, and let out an unholy scream as the charm burned the head of the dark creature, but the force from the Dementor was more than enough to knock Harry back again, the charm thrown away, lying useless on the ground. 

Losing the two things that could protect him, Harry watched helplessly as the Dementors once again dived down from the sky. Just as the first time he met them, the young boy could feel pain all over him, swallowing him alive. He screamed, watching as Dementor after Dementor swooped down and breathed on he and Sirius. The unconscious man that had not moved except for the pained expression on his face. Black spots quickly spread through Harry's vision as he falls to his side, and just as he lost his consciousness, he could see bright light exploded from the other side of the lake, one single voice echoing in the wood. 

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" 

... 

_"Sirius!"_

_"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

"Harry?" 

Harry's eye lids shot open, and the boy pushed himself up so fast that his friends that had leaned forward immediately jumped back. "Harry! You're okay!" Buffy squealed, and before Harry knew it, the blond rushed forward and hugged him, so hard that he could not breathe. 

"Buffy! Buffy! He's turning blue!" 

"Oops." Buffy released Harry, her face flaming as Hermione pulled her back. "Sorry." 

"It's...it's okay." Harry smiled as he coughed, looking around, realizing he was in the hospital wing. Xander and Ron were on the other side, both sitting on their beds, while Buffy and Hermione were surrounding him. Slowly, memories ran back into him, and his eyes widened at the conclusion that he had made just right before he lost his conscious. "I saw my dad!" 

"What?" 

"He sent the Dementors away! I saw him across the lake!" 

The gang looked at each other, speechless. Hermione shook her head and turned towards her friend. "Look, Harry, they've captured Sirius. Any minute now the Dementors are going to perform the Kiss." 

Harry's face paled immediately. "They're gonna kill him?" 

Hermione shook her head again. "No. It's worse. Much worse." 

"Worse?" Hermione opened her month, but no words come. Harry looked towards others, but none of them seemed to want to say the words. "Tell me. How it can get worse?" 

Buffy licked her lips nervously before she finally answered Harry's question. "They're going to suck out his soul." 

"No..." 

... 

* * *


	35. Part 35

* * *

**Blood Ties**  
**Part 35**  
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note 1: **Ahhh... Another year... Deal to me being lazy-ness, I decided to skip several scenes that are the same as the movie/book with only Harry in it. Sorry.**  
Note 2: **Thanks Joahn for beta-reading the story! **

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~

Buffy licked her lips nervously before she finally answered Harry's question. "They're going to suck out his soul."

"No..."

The door to the wing swung open, and Hermione wasted no time and rushed towards the new comer. "Headmaster, they got the wrong man!" She pleaded.

"It's true sir!" Harry, with the help from Buffy, moved down from the bed and joined his housemate. "Sirius is innocent!"

The blonde Gryffindor nodded eagerly. "It's Scabbers who did it!"

Dumbledore's brows wrinkled with confusion. "Scabbers?"

"He's my rat, sir." Ron said from his place. "Only he's not really a rat... except he **was** a rat... he was my brother Percy's rat... but then they gave him an owl..."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead before turning back towards the headmaster. "The point is, we know the truth. Please, believe us."

The headmaster sighed, and put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I do, Miss Granger, but I'm sorry to say the words of couple thirteen years old wizards will convince few others." He slowly made his way towards Ron and Xander, standing in between their beds, one hand patting Xander's head the other patting Ron's. "A child's voice, however honest and true..." He smacked down the two Gryffindors' heads, earning him groans from both children, but he did not seem to have heard them as he continued. "...is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen."

Patting the two heads one last time, the headmaster suddenly looked towards the exit and slowly moved towards it, as if he could hear something that the others could not. "Mysterious thing, time. Powerful... and when meddled with, dangerous. Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower. You know the laws, Miss Granger. You must not be seen. And you would do well, I feel, to return before this last chime. If not, the consequences are too ghastly to discuss. But if you succeed tonight... more than one innocent life may be spared." He winked at Buffy as he moved towards the exit. "Three turns should do it."

Professor Dumbledore swung the door open, just in time as Willow appeared and ran straight into the headmaster. Willow jumped back, and looked at the wizard. "S-sorry."

The older man smiled, and petted Willow's shoulder, much to her surprised. "When in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin. Good luck." He said, gently pushing Willow into the room before closing the door, leaving his students inside the wing, totally confused.

After a second of silence, Ron finally voiced what everyone else had been thinking - well, almost everyone. "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

"Sorry Ron, but the thing is, you are injured. You too, Xand." Hermione said as she pulled out a pocket watch from under her shirt, and started pulling at the chain, making the magical chain longer and longer. "C'mon."

A bulb lit up in the redhead's mind and she immediately moved forward, pulling Buffy and Harry with her. Hermione, without further explanation, pulled the chain over her friends so that it held all four of them together.

"Ohhhh, pretty!" Buffy's hand reached for the pocket watch Hermione was turning. The Gryffindor immediately slapped away the curious hand and sent Buffy a glare that almost caused her to take a step back - if they were not stuck together.

After making three turns, Hermione let go of the watch, and to Harry's surprise, things around them started changing - sun gone up again, people walking in and out around them only if they all walked backwards - almost as if they were standing in the middle of a reverse tape.

Once the movement stopped, everything around them went quiet. The sun was shinning warmly outside, but no one except them was in the wing - not even Ron and Xander who were in the beds just moments ago. "What the..." Buffy blinked.

"What is that?" Harry had the same bewilder look on his face as Buffy. "Where... where's Ron? And Xander? What's..."

Hermione ignored him and looked down at her watch. "Seven-thirty. Where were we at seven-thirty?"

"We were heading for Hagrid's!" Willow exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders to stop her back rug from slipping away before taking off with Hermione. Harry and Buffy looked at each other for a second before followed their friends out of the hospital wing.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Will! Wait!" Buffy shouted as Harry and she followed Willow and Hermione running along the outside wall of the castle towards Hagird's hut. "Hermione!"

Suddenly, the two stopped, hiding themselves just behind the castle wall. Harry followed them and peeked out from the corner, his eyes widened when he spotted a group of people - more specifically, his friends and himself, standing not far away, arguing with Draco and his friends. "That can't be normal..."

Hermione pulled Harry back before he could be spotted before pulling out her pocket watch again. "This is a Time-Turner Harry. McGonagall gave it to me the first term. This is how we have been getting our classes all year."

Buffy blinked, looking between Willow and Hermione. "You mean going back in time?"

Willow nodded as Hermione continued. "Dumbledore obviously wants us to return to this moment." She peeked out again. "Something happened that he wants us to change."

The gang watched as the 'earlier Hermione' pulled back her arm before greeting Draco's nose with her fist. Buffy let out a whistle while Harry smiled. "Good punch."

"Thanks." Hermione grinned. "I've been practicing with Buffy."

Willow raised an eyebrow at Buffy. "What?" Buffy shrugged when she saw the look of Willow's face. "Girls need to know how to protect themselves. I can teach you if you want." She peeked out again. "Malfoy's coming." She pulled back with the others, waiting for the Slytherin students to go back into the castle before peeking out again. "C'mon."

The gangs sneaked through the edge of the Forbidden Forest as they followed their earlier selves towards Hagrid's hut. Quickly, they hid behind the piles of super-size pumpkins just outside the hut. Buffy looked at Buckbeak that was napping on the pumpkin field. "Hey, didn't Dumbledore say more than one innocent life may be spared? Maybe he's talking about Buckbeak too." The blonde stood, but Willow quickly pulled her back down. "Hey!"

"Don't." Willow whispered and pointed. Sure enough, Dumbledore, Fudge and the executioner were marching down the path towards Hagrid's hut. "We need the Minister to see Buckbeak before we take him. Otherwise he'll think Hagrid set him free."

"But..."

_"Scabbers! You're alive!"_

Harry narrowed his eyes as he spotted Scabbers through the opened window of the hut. "Peter Pettigrew." He tried to move towards the hut but Hermione stopped him.

"Harry, you can't!"

"Hermione," Harry turned towards his friend. "He betrayed my parents. You can't expect me to just sit here-" He was about to stand when Hermione stopped him again.

"Yes you must." Hermione said. "You're in Hagrid's hut right now. If you just go bursting in, you'll think you've gone mad! Awful things happen when wizards meddle with time, Harry. We **can't** be seen."

The gang watched as the headmaster and the others moved closer and closer. Hermione frowned as she glanced at the hut. "Fudge is coming, and we're not leaving..." She frowned harder. "Why aren't we leaving?" She looked down, and noticed that very familiar smooth round shaped stone. Without a second though, she grabbed it and threw it towards the open window. A loud smashing sound could be heard from the hut.

"Are you mad?!" Willow's eyes widened.

Hermione ignored her, picking up another stone and threw it. This time it hit the back of Harry's head.

Harry shuddered when he saw the impact of the stone hitting his own head. "Ouch. That hurt."

Hermione smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

The gang turned back towards the headmaster's party, and found them reaching the hut. Not a second after he had knocked on the wooden door, the back door opened, and Willow immediately pulled Harry onto his feet. "We're coming out from the back door!" The gang immediately dashed into the woods and hid behind the huge trees, watching their earlier selves hiding behind the pumpkins where they were just seconds ago.

Buffy peeked out, her eyes focusing on her own behind. "Omigod! Does my butt really look that big from behind?"

"Are you crazy?!" Willow hissed as she pulled Buffy back before she could be spotted. They waited until their 'earlier' selves started running back towards the castle before slipping out again. "C'mon." She said, moving towards Buckbeak with the others.

Buffy went for the other end of Buckbeak's chain, yielding a bit when a crow pecked her finger. "Stupid bird." She cursed, kicking her leg a bit to scare the crows before started pulling at the chain. Buckbeak woke, looked up at Buffy unimpressively before lying down again. Hermione instantly joined Buffy at the pulling. Harry bowed, waiting for Buckbeak to nod back before moving behind it and started pushing at the giant animal.

"C'mon! C'mon!" Harry urged, but the hippogriff refused to budge.

Willow looked around nervously. Suddenly, her eyes caught something, and immediately she dashed for it. Seconds later, she ran back, and Harry could see four dead ferrets in the redhead's arms. She dangled one in front of Buckbeak. "Hey Buckbeak, want some?"

"Will, I don't think it's time to play catc-wooooooch!" Buffy fell back on the butt with Hermione when Buckbeak suddenly stood and moved towards the redhead.

Harry, suffering the same fate, fell forward and hit the ground, face first. "Ouch." He sat up, smoothing his nose.

Willow baited the huge hippogriff with the dead ferret before throwing it towards the woods, and Buckbeak immediately ran for it. "C'mon you guys!" She frowned at the three students who were still sitting on the ground, and moved towards Harry. "We need to go." She pulled him onto his feet, and started pushing him towards the forest.

As Harry, Buffy and Hermione joined Buckbeak into the woods, Willow halted, and turned towards where she knew her other self was standing.

"Will?"

"Yeah." Willow stared for couple more seconds, before joining her friends and disappeared into the Forbidden Forest.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Just as the gang disappeared into the woods with Buckbeak, the door to Hagrid's hut opened, and the minister stepped out with the executioner. "Let's get this over with, shall-" The Minister halted. "What... where is it? I just saw the beast not moments ago! Hagrid?!"

Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore stepped out the hut, and stared at the empty pumpkin field. "How extraordinary!" The headmaster exclaimed as he looked around, rather amused.

Cornelius Fudge turned towards him. "Come now, Dumbledore, someone obviously released him." He turned his accusing eyes towards Hagrid.

Hagrid immediately took a step back. "Professor, I swear I didn't!"

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm quite sure the Minister isn't suggesting that you had anything to do with it, Hagrid. How could you? You've been with us all along."

Fudge shook his head. "We should search the grounds-"

"Search the sky if you must, Minister." The headmaster said as he moved back into the hut. "In the meantime, I wouldn't say no to a cup of tea... or a large brandy." He halted and turned towards the executioner. "It seems your service will no longer be required." He nodded at the cloaked man with a cheesy grin before disappeared into the hut.

The Executioner narrowed his eyes at the headmaster, before turning toward the field where Buckbeak was, and lifted up his blade. Crows scattered, as the blade swung down, and sliced the huge pumpkin nearby in half.

~.~.~.~.~.~

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End file.
